Biological Control of Leaf Diseases Caused by Pestalotiopsis sp.: A Bibliometric and Narrative Review
Abstract
Pestalotiopsis sp. is an important fungal pathogen associated with leaf diseases, which pose a significant threat to sustainable crop production. This study aims to identify publication trends, global research distribution, and key research focuses related to the biological control of Pestalotiopsis spp. in plants. Data were collected from scientific publications indexed in the Scopus database from 2005 to 2025. Using AND/OR search terms, namely: (Title-Abs-Key (Biological And Control) And Title-Abs-Key (Pestalotiopsis)) And Pubyear > 2004 And Pubyear < 2026 And (Limit-To (Subjarea, “Agri”) Or Limit-To (Subjarea, “Bioc”) Or Limit-To (Subjarea, “Medi”) Or Limit-To (Subjarea, “Envi”) Or Limit-To (Subjarea, “Immu”)) And (Limit-To (Doctype, “Ar”)) And (Limit-To (Language, “English”)), a total of 91 scientific articles were identified. The selected publications were analyzed using VOSviewer version 1.6.20 to evaluate publication trends, collaboration networks, and thematic evolution. The results show a significant increase in research activity, particularly after 2021, with a shift towards mechanism-based biological control strategies. Key antagonistic microorganisms, including Trichoderma, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, and endophytic fungi, exhibit strong inhibitory effects through antibiosis, enzymatic degradation, competition, and induction of plant resistance. A key strength of this review is the integration of bibliometric mapping with mechanistic synthesis, which allows for the identification of thematic evolution, key biocontrol agents, and critical research gaps. Although biological control has demonstrated strong effectiveness under laboratory conditions, field validation and large-scale implementation are still limited. This review provides a comprehensive scientific reference and practical guidance to support future research and accelerate sustainable biological control strategies for Pestalotiopsis-associated diseases.
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