Plants can become so susceptible to a variety of infections ; in the same way that occurs with a cold that develops within a school group of children, that is, that spread quickly, potentially infecting an entire plantation.
There is currently a new technique that helps keep the disease under control between the greenhouse and other commercial crops, this new technique is known as soil biofungicide.
Index
- 1 What is a Biofungicide?
- 2 How do biofungicides work?
- 3 When to use the biofungicide?
What is a Biofungicide?
The biofungicide is made up of beneficial fungi and bacteria that have the ability to colonize and attack the different types of pathogens that can affect plants , thus preventing all those diseases that they cause.
Microbes are usually found naturally in soil , making them an excellent green alternative to widely used chemical fungicides. Likewise, the use of biofungicides in crops, as a technique to control and manage diseases and minimize the danger that pathogens may become resistant to the many chemical fungicides that are on the market.
How do biofungicides work?
There are 4 ways in which biofungicides act to keep other microorganisms under control, and they are as follows:
- Through direct competition , that is, biofungicides develop a defensive barrier around the root system or rhizosphere, with which the roots are kept protected from the harmful fungi that attack them.
- Biofungicides also make a chemical much like an antibiotic , which is quite toxic to any kind of invading pathogen. This process is known as antibiosis.
- Similarly, biofungicides fight and feed on harmful pathogens; this is because the biofungicide must be in the rhizosphere before or at the same time that pathogens develop and present themselves. Biofungicide predation will fail to affect harmful pathogens if they are introduced once the roots are infected.
- Finally, the introduction of biofungicides allows some immune defense mechanisms to begin, which are characteristic of the plant. This is how biofungicides successfully combat harmful invading pathogens.
At what time to use the biofungicide?
It is very important to know when the biofungicide should be used; As we said before, it is essential that the biofungicide is introduced before the plants are infected , otherwise they will not heal.
When you use biofungicides in your garden, it is necessary that you apply them before the development of the infection begins , keep in mind that an early application will serve to protect the roots of your plants against pathogens or harmful fungi and help the optimal development of root hairs.
Likewise, biofungicides must always be used in conjunction with basic control for sanitation , which is only the first step in terms of defending and protecting your plants.
When using biological fungicides, it is necessary that they be applied properly following the manufacturer’s instructions that come with the product. In general, the vast majority of biofungicides can be used for all types of organic cultivation, since they are often much safer when compared to chemical fungicides and, furthermore, they can be used simultaneously with fertilizers, insecticides and rooting compounds. .
Biofungicides have a shorter shelf life compared to chemical fungicides and are not a cure-all for infected plants, but rather a natural technique to keep disease under control before infection begins.
