Managing pests and diseases of grain legumes with secondary metabolites from actinomycetes

Abstract

Protection of agricultural crops against fungal pathogens, pests, insects, and weeds by the application of chemical pesticides was slowdown in many countries because of the disadvantage of the products toward consumer’s health and environmental protection. Therefore, alternative approaches for protecting the crops from various pests and diseases and production of pesticides from microbial route have been attracted. Actinomycetes are the potential sources of novel metabolites, enzymes, and other chemicals with various biological applications. Among them, the applications of actinomycetes toward the protection of soil fertility and controlling the crop diseases are gaining increasing attention by the scientific community. A large number of novel compounds and enzymes with antifungal and insecticidal properties from actinomycetes have been isolated and characterized from various geographic regions around the world. In this chapter, metabolites and enzymes from actinomycetes with antifungal, insecticidal, and commonly available pesticide in the world market are discussed. The products derived from actinomycetes may also serve as key models for the crop protection and soil fertility with respect to the environmental protection.