Crop Production and Protection - Several bacterial strains have been modified by introduction of foreign genes to control insects (by production of endotoxins), fungal diseases (by production of chitinases, which suppress fungal flora in the soil), or frost damage (through production of mutants for ice nucleation gene or Ice + responsible for frost damage).
Deleterious bacteria and fungi or their effects have been controlled in some cases by using a variety of approaches, which include the following:
(i) production of avirulent mutant of the pathogen and releasing it to compete with the virulent strains;