Application of yeasts in plant diseases management

Yeasts are widely distributed on earth.They play role in industries such as bakery, fermentation, protein production, the synthesis of chemicals such as riboflavin and citric acid, agriculture and plant diseases management. They are effective in reducing plant diseases. through a variety of mechanisms, such as competition for food and space, parasitic relationship with the pathogen, induction of plant resistance, mycoparasitism, ecological niche occupation, mycotoxin detoxification and production of cell wall degradation enzymes. The superior characteristics of yeasts are greater tolerance and adaptation to thermal fluctuations at low and high temperatures, adaptation in a wide range of relative humidity, pH fluctuations, low oxygen levels, high proliferation rate, limiting the pathogen population and tolerance to UV radiation. Due these characteristics, yeasts are considered as one of the best choices to use in the process of biological control. In this paper, the positive aspects of yeasts compared to other microbial agents, their role in agriculture and management mechanisms of plant diseases are discussed.