Biotechnology

Biology

Microbiology

Fermentation

Biological pest control

Yeast

Aureobasidium pullulans

Biosafety

Botany

Food science

Biochemistry

World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology

Yeasts occur in all environments and have been described as potent antagonists of various plant pathogens. Due to their antagonistic ability, undemanding cultivation requirements, and limited biosafety concerns, many of these unicellular fungi have been considered for biocontrol applications. Here, we review the fundamental research on the mechanisms (e.g., competition, enzyme secretion, toxin production, volatiles, mycoparasitism, induction of resistance) by which biocontrol yeasts exert their activity as plant protection agents. In a second part, we focus on five yeast species ( Candida oleophila, Aureobasidium pullulans, Metschnikowia fructicola, Cryptococcus albidus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) that are or have been registered for the application as biocontrol products. These examples demonstrate the potential of yeasts for commercial biocontrol usage, but this review also highlights the scarcity of fundamental studies on yeast biocontrol mechanisms and of registered yeast-based biocontrol products. Yeast biocontrol mechanisms thus represent a largely unexplored field of research and plentiful opportunities for the development of commercial, yeast-based applications for plant protection exist.

Biocontrol yeasts: mechanisms and applications