Management of Disease Losses in Leguminous Microgreens
摘要
Legumes are a vital part of the human diet, providing protein, fiber, and other essential nutrients. In addition to limitation of arable land, legumes are susceptible to a range of diseases, which can cause significant yield losses. Leguminous MGs (LMGs) are popular and nutritious food crop, but they are also susceptible to a variety of diseases. LMGs are young seedlings that are harvested just a few weeks after germination. Their small size and delicate tissues make them particularly susceptible to disease. Efficient management of disease losses is essential to ensure sustainable production of LMGs. Chemical control by using chemical fungicides and pesticides are currently most applied way to control diseases, but non-judicious application imposes threat to environment and human health. Various strategies including cultural practices, such as crop rotation, use of disease-free seeds, and destruction of infected plant material, can help to reduce the risk of disease infection. Apart from these, breeding for host resistance is one of the most effective ecopositive ways to manage disease losses. Moreover, biological control agents, such as beneficial microorganisms and insects, can be used to suppress disease-causing pathogens. However, there are a number of strategies that can be employed in integrated manner to reduce disease losses in legume MGs. Use of disease-free seeds or disinfected seeds reduces the risk of disease transmission up to large extents. However endophytes are still a big challenge. Optimizing environmental conditions, such as temperature, humidity, and light, can help to reduce disease pressure in production of LMGs. By following these strategies with some innovative add-ons by legume growers can minimize disease losses and produce high-quality, nutritious LMGs for human consumption. This chapter will review the major diseases of legumes, range of strategies for management along with specific challenges in managing disease losses in legume MGs.