Biopesticides: An Eco-Friendly Approach for the Control of Soilborne Pathogens in Peanut

Abstract

The peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an annual legume, which is also known as groundnut, earthnut, monkeynut and goobers. It is native to the Western Hemisphere, probably originated in South America and spread throughout the New World as spanish explorers discovered their versatility. Peanut is now grown throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions of the world. It is the 13th most important food crop and 4th most important oilseed crop of the world. World peanut production totals approximately 39.9 million metric tons per year, China being the world´s largest producer, followed by India and the United States (USDA 2013). The major exporters of peanuts are Argentina, the United States, Sudan, Senegal, and Brazil. These five countries account for 71% of total world exports. Countries such as India, Vietnam and several African countries periodically enter the world market depending upon their crop quality and world market demand. The major peanut importers are the European Union, Canada and Japan. These three areas account for 78% of the world´s imports. All parts of the peanut plant can be used. As a rich source of energy, it contains about 48?50% oil, 25?28% proteins and 20?26% carbohydrates. Among oilseeds peanut is unique in that it can be consumed directly as a foodstuff, in Europe as well as North and South Americas, about 75% of the peanut produced is used as a foodstuff (Birthal et al. 2010). Peanut kernels also contain many health enhancing nutrients such as seven of the 20 essential minerals, 13 essential vitamins particularly vitamin E, folic acid and niacin, and antioxidants (Bishi et al. 2015). Peanut is a source of dietary biologically active polyphenolics, flavonoids, and isoflavones such as p-coumaric acid and resveratrol (Francisco and Resurrección 2008). The beneficial effects of phenolic compounds have been attributed to their antioxidant capacity (Heim et al. 2002). Moreover, peanuts are rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids and do not contains trans-fatty acids (Sanders 2001). Thus the consumption of peanuts elicits several biological effects such as weight-loss (Alper and Mattes 2002), prevention of cardiovascular diseases by lowering blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels (Lopes et al. 2011), protection against Alzheimer disease, anti-inflammatory effects (Higgs 2003), and inhibition of cancer (Awad et al. 2000). Hence, peanut is gaining importance as a functional food besides being an oilseed crop. These multiple uses of groundnut plant make it an excellent cash crop for domestic markets as well as for foreign trade in several developing and developed countries.