Antagonist effects of strains of Bacillus spp. against Rhizoctonia solani for their protection against several plant diseases: Alternatives to chemical pesticides

Rhizoctonia solan Kühn (teleomorph: Thanatephorus cucumeris (Frank) Donk (R. solani) is a soil-borne phytopathogenic species complex as well as a necrotic fungus that causes significant crop yield losses worldwide. Agronomic practices (crop rotation), resistant cultivars, and chemical pesticides are widely used to control R. solani. However, these practices are insufficient to control the pest. Moreover, the application of chemical pesticides is harmful to both the environment and human health. Therefore, the use of biocontrol agents (BCAs) and that of plant-growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) are considered to be potentially sustainable, cost-effective, efficient, and eco-friendly ways to control R. solani. Several microorganisms have been used as biocontrol agents (BCAs) to manage R. solani. Among these, biocontrol agents (BCAs) Bacillus spp. are used to promote plant growth. Furthermore, due to its broad range of antibiotic-producing abilities, Bacillus spp. is widely used against R. solani. In this review, current and previous studies about the ability of Bacillus spp. to control diseases caused by R. solani are reported. It also focuses on the plant-growth promotion attributes of Bacillus spp. in response to the deleterious effects of R. solani.