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Can The Right Potting Mix Replace Fungicide?

Science Daily — Potting mixes custom-tailored to fight plant diseases can work much better than systemic fungicides.
The Trichoderma fungus thwarts Botrytis on more than one front. It prevents Botrytis from infecting fresh wounds, and produces compounds that keep Botrytis spores from germinating.

Surprisingly, the compost mix had a similar effect even without Trichoderma. This means there could be naturally occurring beneficial fungi or other biocontrol agents in the compost.

ScienceDaily: Can The Right Potting Mix Replace Fungicide?

Although using biotechnology to develop new drugs is by no means simple, the industry has seen steady success over the past few years.

Between 2000 and 2005, over 20 new drugs were released onto the market originating from natural sources. And although this is the first time SIDR has worked with fungal cultures, there are a number of prescription drugs deriving from metabolites produced by fungi that have been on the market for many years. These include immunosuppressive agents, antibiotics such as penicillin, lipid lowering agents and anti-fungal drugs.