Part of the outlookIn many ways, bi

Part of the outlookIn many ways, biological disease control of soil-borne diseases still has greater potential as a forward-looking strategy for use in field agricultural production systems than the unreserved use of implementation methods. The barriers and limitations of biocontrol using bioinsecticide methods have long been recognized and described, including a narrow product market and higher costs relative to chemical alternatives. Although there is a widespread public desire to use biological control measures in crop production, this has led to uneven and, until recently, tepid investment in commercial production of viable biological control measures. The latest regulatory recommendations on pesticide use are likely to provide a continuing impetus for such investments. On the other hand, management of local soil microbial communities, though limited, seems to provide a more sustainable means of achieving the goal of biotopic-borne disease control. In biological control, technological advances are now widely available that are considered necessary to make progress in describing biological interactions and community functions (Handelsman 2002). Thus, the challenge of developing successful strategies for biocontrol of soil-borne diseases using indigenous microbiomes will continue to require interaction between different scientific interests.