Life inside plants: Insights into the lifestyle, diversity, and metabolites of endophytic bacteria involved in plant defense against phytopathogens

Abstract

One of the pressing issues in agriculture today is low crop yields due to plant diseases and pathogens. Chemical pesticides have generously been applied as remedies to improve the situation, but continue to be shunned globally due to their long-term environmental impacts. Endophytes are microbes that live symbiotically in plant tissues and are continually being associated with the suppression of phytopathogens and plant health. Thus, they present an environmentally-friendly option in plant defense against phytopathogens. However, their diversity, lifestyle, and roles in plant defense against phytopathogens are still not well-understood. This chapter explores the lifestyle of endophytic bacteria and discusses their diversity and metabolites involved in plant defense against phosphagens. The chapter further examines the future prospects and evaluates the emerging gaps relative to their use in plant defense against phytopathogens. Such knowledge is critical in fully exploiting their potential in sustainable agriculture.