Fungal diseases of crops can cause significant losses in world food production. Currently, the most popular method of protection against them is the use of fungicides. These preparations are characterized by their high efficiency, however, the recent social concern for the safety and quality of food, results in a search for alternative methods of controlling phytopathogenic fungi. One of the alternatives is biological control. The current review provides an overview of the use of microbial control agents, such as: bacteria, yeasts or fungi, showing antagonism towards several phytopathogenic fungi, causing fruits and vegetables decay. Several mechanisms have been presented as responsible for their antagonistic activity, including: competition for nutrients and space, mycoparasitism, secretion of antifungal compounds, like antibiotics and killer toxins, induction of host resistance to phytopathogens, and most recently, the involvement of volatile compounds in biocontrol phenomenon. The paper also provides a brief overview of the required characteristics of an effective BCA product (biological control agent) and of the procedures for registering these products both in USA and EU. Moreover, other positive aspects of the use of BCAs have been discussed, like the higher nutritional value of crops or some antagonists’ ability to decompose mycotoxins.

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