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Microbial diseases are one of the main causes of reduced crop productivity, resulting in losses of millions of dollars annually for many countries. Bacillus thuringiensis is a species naturally found associated with soils, insects and plants. Although most studies on this species focus only on its direct effects against insect pests, we have shown that there may be several other mechanisms for plant protection, especially against phytopathogenic microorganisms. In this work, the sequencing of the genome of B. thuringiensis BAC3151 endophytic to common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), in addition to other previously published genomes of the species, provided the opportunity to carry out comparative genomic analyses between different strains. In short, the book will make a significant contribution to all professionals looking for innovative strategies to carry out biological control of microbial diseases in agricultural crops, with a view to reducing the damage caused by phytopathogens.
About the author
Ralf Bruno Moura Lopes has a degree in Biological Sciences and a master's degree in Agricultural Microbiology from the Federal University of Viçosa. He is currently doing his PhD in Microbiology at the University of São Paulo and works mainly on strategies for controlling pathogenic microorganisms, phylogeny, resistome and bacterial genomics.
