Epicoccum species are ubiquitous ascomycetes. Several species are known to cause plant diseases and some species act as biological control agents against a range of plant pathogens. Accurate identification of Epicoccum species is paramount to a successful disease management program and successful development of biological control products. There are 18 Epicoccum species that are associated with diseases of 46 plant species. The diseases occur in 20 countries with leaf spot as the most commonly reported disease symptom. There are a further five Epicoccum species (E. nigrum, E. layuense, E. dendrobii, E, mezzettii and E. minitans) that have biological control activity against various plant pathogens. Of the five species, Epicoccum nigrum is the most promising and has been shown to reduce incidence and severity of a wide range of plant diseases. The use of bioactive metabolites (e.g. flavipin and epicolactone) from Epicoccum spp. may offer growers a cheap and safe alternative to conventional pesticides which are widely used to manage plant diseases. We review the current knowledge of Epicoccum species, both those species that are plant pathogens, and those species that are biological control agents for plant disease.

粘菌种是无处不在的子囊菌。已知有几种物种会引起植物病害，而某些物种则充当针对一系列植物病原体的生物防治剂。准确识别Epicoccum物种对于成功的疾病管理计划和成功开发生物防治产品至关重要。有18种Epicoccum物种与46种植物的病害有关。该病在20个国家中以叶斑病为最常报告的疾病症状。还有另外5种Epicoccum物种（E. nigrum，E.layuense，E. dendrobii，E，mezzettii和E. minitans）具有对各种植物病原体的生物防治活性。在这五个物种中，黑鬼臼（Epicoccum nigrum）是最有前途的，并且已被证明可以降低多种植物疾病的发生率和严重程度。使用Epicoccum spp的生物活性代谢物（例如flavipin和epicolactone）。可以为种植者提供一种价格便宜，安全的替代品，可替代常规农药来广泛控制植物病害。我们回顾了Epicoccum物种的当前知识，既是植物病原体的物种，又是植物病害生物防治剂的物种。