Background

Biological control (biocontrol) organisms are the key component of the sustainable agriculture. Although the majority of the research on biocontrol organisms focused on fungi and bacteria, recent studies revealed the importance of predatory protists in pathogen suppression through direct (by feeding on plant pathogens) and indirect (by enhancing bacterial activities related to pathogen suppression) mechanisms. However, a review of the literature related to predatory protists and plant pathogen interaction is still lacking.

Scope

In this review, we aimed to 1) provide the current body of knowledge on the roles of predatory protists in plant pathogen suppression, and 2) highlight the importance of predatory protists as potential biocontrol agents. We also provided information on isolation techniques and application methods of predatory protists that can be used as biocontrol agents in agricultural systems.

Conclusion

We highlighted that predatory protists can be an important solution for the sustainable management of plant pathogens. Since there is a huge knowledge gap in this area, further studies should focus on protist-pathogen interaction and its application for sustainable plant productivity.

中文翻译：

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植物健康的守护者：捕食性原生生物在抑制病原体中的作用

 背景

生物防治（biocontrol）生物是可持续农业的关键组成部分。尽管大多数生物防治生物的研究都集中在真菌和细菌上，但最近的研究揭示了捕食性原生生物通过直接（通过以植物病原体为食）和间接（通过增强与病原体抑制相关的细菌活性）机制在病原体抑制中的重要性。然而，仍然缺乏与捕食性原生生物和植物病原体相互作用相关的文献综述。

 范围

在这篇综述中，我们的目的是：1）提供有关捕食性原生生物在植物病原体抑制中作用的当前知识体系，2）强调捕食性原生生物作为潜在生物防治剂的重要性。我们还提供了有关可用作农业系统生物防治剂的捕食性原生生物的分离技术和应用方法的信息。

 结论

我们强调，捕食性原生生物可以成为植物病原体可持续管理的重要解决方案。由于该领域存在巨大的知识差距，进一步的研究应集中在原生生物与病原体的相互作用及其在可持续植物生产力中的应用。