Validamycin is an antibiotic and fungicide that is a highly specific inhibitor of fungal, plant and insect trehalases and has been shown to enhance trehalose accumulation in transgenic plants. Validamycin has shown efficacy against fungal plant pathogens such as Pellicularia sasakii and Rhizoctonia solani, but has been shown to only inhibit their virulence instead of acting as a fungicidal agent against them. Validamycin is commonly used to control sheath-blight disease in rice and has been used to enhance trehalose accumulation in soybean plant leaves and rhizobia. Validamycin is most effective against soil-born diseases and is commonly applied as a seed treatment.