ABSTRACT
The peanut, or groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.), is a very important legume crop of tropical and subtropical areas of the world. The importance of peanut as a food and oil crop and as a cash source in the semi-arid tropics is well known. Peanut is grown in many countries throughout the world, with80% of the crop grown in developing countries. Peanut is grown on 3.1 107 ha throughout the world with a production of3.8 107 metric tons [1]. Average yields,825 kg/ha, of peanut in developing countries are low in comparison with the 2650 kg/ha or higher obtained in developed countries. An important factor contributing to low yield is disease attack by different microorganisms, nematodes, and insect pests. Peanut is prone to attack by more than 55 pathogens, including fungi, bacteria, viruses, mycoplasma, nematodes, and parasitic flowering plants, among which fungal diseases cause the majority of economic losses of yield. The most significant diseases of peanut are listed in Table 1 [2]. This chapter summarizes the efforts to develop biological control of the major fungal and nematode diseases of peanut. Biological control of bacterial and viral diseases of peanut using fungal and bacterial agents has not been studied in detail. The experience of the authors’ laboratory, including unpublished results, and findings of various research groups as to biological control of fungal diseases of peanut using fungal and bacterial agents are presented here.
