Legume root rot control through soil management for sustainable agriculture

Abstract

One of the most desired goals in sustainable agriculture is to wisely organize crop management programs which not only improve productivity but also do not disturb agroecosystem. To achieve this outstanding aim, there is no doubt that soil management methods should be considered as a fundamental part of optimizing organic agronomy. Legumes, which are long known as the important source of plant protein, have been recognized to be potential contributors to the sustainability of worldwide agriculture. However, proper cultivation of these valuable food crops is profoundly dependent on plant protection and production strategies. This chapter reviews the literature to provide an improved insight into an array of influential soil attributes and those soil-associated agronomic practices on legume root rot pathosystems for environment-friendly production perspectives. Root rot pathogens can strictly limit benefits of legume cultivation for farming systems via rotted roots, reduced root system expansion, and lower rhizobial nodulation. Legume root rots also cause further losses to crop productivity that discourage farmers from including them in their rotation programs. Therefore, it is crucial to control legume root rots by developing efficient agronomic practices to improve soil suppressiveness against pathogens according to sustainable agriculture and organic farming principles. Such efforts could allow us to not only enhance productivity and sustainability in legume cultivation but also optimize soil health and fertility for non-legume cultivation. Moreover, this sustainable way of suppressing pathogens based on efficient soil management methods can minimize production expenses due to synthetic fertilizers, fungicides, or herbicides.