Biocontrol mechanisms, application potential, and challenges of Burkholderia spp. in plant fungal disease management.

Fungal diseases present significant challenges to global agriculture, causing substantial economic losses and threatening food safety. Although synthetic fungicides have long served as the cornerstone of plant disease management, growing concerns regarding their environmental toxicity, non-target effects, and emergence of resistant pathogens have motivated the search for sustainable alternatives. Burkholderia spp. have attracted attention as promising biocontrol agents (BCAs) due to their production of diverse bioactive secondary metabolites (for example, occidiofungin, pyoluteorin, pyrrolnitrin, and cepacin) that efficiently suppress fungal pathogens such as Fusarium, Colletotrichum, and Pythium, and induction of systemic resistance responses in plant hosts. This review summarizes the distribution of Burkholderia in plant-associated niches, outlines the procedures for screening potential biocontrol strains, and elaborates on the molecular and ecological mechanisms underlying their antifungal activity. Furthermore, we discuss the formulation and application strategies that impact biocontrol efficacy, address biosafety and regulatory considerations, and highlight future research priorities, particularly genome mining, functional genetic validation and modification, and regulatory frameworks that must be pursued to facilitate the safe and effective commercialization of Burkholderia-based products within integrated pest management systems (IPM). The strategic deployment of these strains, supported by mechanistic understanding and comprehensive risk assessment, could advance sustainable crop protection and contribute to global food security.