Fungal infections of legume crops: Challenges and management approaches

The transition to an intensive agricultural system has led to the emergence of epidemics and fungal infections, putting food security at risk. According to various studies, the legume production sector is under attack by several plant pathogenic fungi, leading to significant losses in legume crops worldwide. This critical situation is generally treated using chemical and synthetic fungicides. However, the adverse effects of synthetic fungicides on the health of animals, people, and the environment, as well as the significant rise in the development of fungal resistance to these fungicides, have led scientists from all over the world to investigate several novel approaches and environmentally friendly methods of controlling fungi. These biological approaches include biological agents, non-volatile plant extracts and essential oils, in addition to their combinations. This review provides a summary of the available literature on the major leguminous pathogens, namely Botrytis spp, Fusarium spp, Ascochyta Spp, Sclerotium rolfsii, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and Uromyces viciae-fabae, and their chemical and biological control methods used separately or in combination.