ABSTRACT
Microorganisms and naturally occurring compounds that can control plant diseases are called biofungicides. The yield and quality of crops are commercially reduced; quality of crops is being damaged by plant pathogenic microorganisms. In this chapter, the latest improvement of actinomycetes biofungicide in the use of agriculture plants are highlighted . Actinomycetes are gram-positive bacteria with a filamentous structure that belong to the prokaryotic class. Actinomycetes are also known as thread or ray bacteria because of their filamentous structure. Unlike fungicides, the biological control for fungal disease in plants leads to a beneficial and safe environment. It has been proven that soil antagonistic streptomycetes reduce the incidence of fungal pathogens effectively, making them ideal for biological control. The antibacterial, antifungal, antibiotic, insecticide, antiparasitic and herbicide are important bioactive metabolites. However, only limited microbial compounds are commercially used at the field level. In this chapter, the authors mainly explain the importance and uses of actinomycetes in agriculture with special attention to control diseases of agricultural plants. Many bacterial strains have been successfully treated with actinomycetes as antibiotics.
