Rhizosphere biological control

Weller, D.M. Biological control of soilbome plant pathogens in the rhizosphere with bacteria. Ann Rev Phytopathol 1988 26 379-407. 

Chao, W.L., Nelson, E.B., Harman, GE., Hoch, H.C. Colonization of the rhizosphere by biological control agents applied to seeds. Phytopathology 1986 76 60-65. 

Kerry BR. Rhizosphere interactions and the exploitation of microbial agents for the biological control of plant-parasitic nematodes. Annu Rev Phytopathol 38 323-441, 2000. 

Siderophores are low molecular weight compounds that chelate Fe3+ and transport it into the cell. Competition for iron appears to occur between pseudomonads and the rhizosphere bacteria and fungi. Three unusual siderophores with antifungal activity have been described from fluorescent pseudomonads, pyochelin (9), S-dihydroaeruginoic acid (10) and aeruginoic acid [13]. The importance of siderophores in biological control has been the subject of some debate [14]. 

Therefore, the role of physicochemical-biological interfacial interactions in controlling the transformation, transport, fate, and toxicity of metals and metalloids in soil and surrounding environments, especially the rhizosphere, which is the bottleneck of contamination of the terrestrial food chain, deserves increasing attention. In this chapter we present an overview of this emerging and extremely important area of science, to advance our knowledge of the interface between physicochemical and biological reactions and processes in the environment. 

---