Bioprospecting bacterial and fungal volatiles for sustainable agriculture

Current agricultural practice depends upon a wide use of pesticides, bactericides and fungicides. Increased demand for organic products indicates consumer preference for reduced chemical use. Therefore, there is a need to develop novel sustainable strategies for crop protection and enhancement that do not rely on harmful chemicals and/or genetic modification. An increasing body of evidence indicates that Microbial (bacterial and fungal) volatile organic compounds (MVOCs) might provide an alternative to the use of chemicals to protect plants from pathogens and provide a setting for better crop welfare. It is well known that MVOCs can modulate the physiology of plants and microorganisms and in this opinion article we propose that MVOCs can be exploited as an ecofriendly, cost effective and sustainable strategy for agricultural practices.