Abstract:Microbial diseases can greatly reduce the yield and quality of edible fungi cultivated with the soil-covered mode. Prevention and control of these microbial diseases is kept focused in both research and industrial development of edible fungi. Nevertheless, the drawbacks of regular techniques limit their practical applications to effectively prevent and control microbial diseases. In this review, we summarize recent applications, as well as the pros and cons, of regular biological and non-biological techniques for preventing and controlling microbial diseases in the soil-covered cultivation of edible fungi. We also review recent research progresses on soil microbial community diversity in the soil-covered cultivation of edible fungi. Based on these progresses, we propose a new strategy that applies a synthetic soil microbial community to prevent and control microbial diseases in the soil-covered cultivation of edible fungi. Moreover, the challenges and prospects to constructing and applying a synthetic soil microbial community are present. This review contributes to the efficient prevention and control of microbial diseases in the cultivation of edible fungi and the maintenance of soil health.