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Acta Prataculturae Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (4): 189-200.DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2024187

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Effect of biocontrol agents to control forage crop fungal diseases and factors influencing their effectiveness: A Meta-analysis

Bo YAO1,2(), Rui-fen ZHU1,2, Yuan-dong XU1,2, Wan-bin SUN1,2, Chang LIU1,2, Ji-shan CHEN1,2()   

  1. 1.Chongqing Academy of Animal Sciences,Chongqing 402460,China
    2.Pratacultural Engineering and Technology Research Center of Chongqing,Chongqing 402460,China
  • Received:2024-05-21 Revised:2024-07-15 Online:2025-04-20 Published:2025-02-19
  • Contact: Ji-shan CHEN

Abstract:

Fungal diseases significantly constrain the productivity and quality of forage crops. Biocontrol agents, recognized for their ecological compatibility and safety, have emerged as the favored method for plant disease management. Further research is needed to elucidate the overall efficacy of these agents in controlling fungal diseases in forage crops, as well as the factors influencing their effectiveness. Based on 24 papers published by March 2024 on the use of biocontrol agents (BacillusTrichoderma, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. etc) to control root rot, rust, powdery mildew, leaf spot, and anthracnose disease of major forage crops such as alfalfa (Medicago sativa), oat (Avena sativa), silage maize (Zea mays), ryegrass (Lolium perenne), alsike clover (Trifolium hybridum), common vetchVicia sativa), and orchardgrassDactylis glomerata), we conducted a Meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of biocontrol agents to control diseases of forage crops, and to analyze the impacts of a variety of factors on the effectiveness of control. The results show that biocontrol agents are remarkably effective in controlling fungal diseases of forage crops, with a total biological control effect of 49.85%. Heterogeneity testing revealed that the pathogen species, the type, concentration, and application frequency of the biocontrol agent, the forage crop species, and the disease type were the factors significantly impacting the effectiveness of control. However, the type of experiment, application mode, and biocontrol species had no significant impact on the effectiveness of control. Overall, the analysis showed that: 1) Compared with the overall average control effect, the biocontrol agents had stronger control effects on root rot and powdery mildew in major forage crops such as alfalfa and oat. 2) Biocontrol species should be screened to identify specific and highly effective strains targeting pathogens. 3) Considering both the economic cost and control effect, the concentration of biocontrol agents should be 108 CFU·mL -1 and the number of applications should be two. The findings of this study provide practical guidelines for the use of biocontrol agents in actual production to control fungal diseases of forage crops, and pointers for future research.

Key words: biocontrol agent, forage crop, disease, control effect, Meta-analysis