# Phage Therapy in Plant Disease Management: 110 Years of History, Current Challenges, and Future Trends

## TL;DR

This paper reviews the history and future of using bacteriophages to manage plant diseases, highlighting their potential as sustainable alternatives to antibiotics.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive historical overview and identifies emerging technologies that could advance phage therapy in agriculture.

## Key findings

- Phage therapy has a long history but was overshadowed by antibiotics until recently.
- Modern advancements in synthetic biology and AI are revitalizing phage research for plant disease control.
- Phages offer a targeted and sustainable alternative to chemical pesticides and antibiotics.

## Abstract

Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that specifically infect and lyse bacterial cells. Since their discovery 110 years ago, they have held a unique place in microbiology, medicine, and agriculture as both scientific tools and potential therapeutic agents. The concept of employing phages to combat bacterial infections, known as phage therapy, predates the antibiotic era and has undergone cycles of enthusiasm, neglect, and revival. Initially explored in the early 20th century, phage therapy offered a targeted biological approach to bacterial disease control. However, the widespread adoption of antibiotics led to a significant reduction in phage research, which only regained momentum in recent decades owing to the global rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and increasing demand for environmentally sustainable disease management strategies. This review traces the complete timeline of this history, highlighting key milestones in phage discovery, molecular microbiology, the antibiotic era, and the resulting critical events that spurred the modern phage renaissance in plant disease management. Finally, the significance of cutting-edge integration of synthetic biology, advanced phage delivery systems, and artificial intelligence (AI), which could drive the development of next-generation biopesticides, is also discussed.