AGRICULTURAL USE POTENTIALS OF ACTINOMYCETES

Abstract

Actinomycetes, belonging to class Actinobacteria and order Actinomycetales, are Grampositive, aerobic, filamentous bacteria. Because of their morphology, they were previously thought to be fungus, and therefore the word "mykes", which means fungi in Latin, was used in naming. Actinomycetes can be isolated from various environments such as soil, sea, air, insect or marine macro-organisms, plants, and extreme environments. Actinomycetes produce important secondary metabolites. These bacteria are known for their synthesis of bioactive compounds like antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, herbicide, and insecticide. It was proven by studies that some of these bioactive compounds have important potentials in agriculture. Nowadays, high amounts of herbicides or insecticides are used to protect plants from pests, and these chemicals can cause different dangers in the long term. The chemicals used are not only biologically harmful but also dangerous in that the target organisms gain resistance to these chemicals over time. Therefore, there is a need for both new and natural herbicide and insecticidal compounds. Actinomycetes are known to synthesize bioactive compounds that have the potential to satisfy these needs. At the same time, secondary metabolites of actinomycetes can be effective against pathogens such as viruses and fungi that can cause product loss. These bacteria may also be responsible to produce important plant growth promoters such as indole acetic acid (IAA), siderophore production, phosphate dissolution, ammonia production, hydrogen cyanide production. Today, studies about using actinomycetes to both prevent pathogenic organisms from harming plants and to support plant growth, are increasing day by day. For this reason, we aimed to compile studies that reveal the potential of actinomycetes in the field of sustainable agriculture in plant development and protection.