Diseases of medicinal and aromatic plants: Insights in nematode biomanagement

Abstract

The cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) has considerably increased in tropical and sub tropical countries of the world to meet the requirement of pharmaceutical, perfumery, cosmetic and food industries. Unfortunately, the major source of raw materials are highly susceptible to many diseases caused by variety of pest and pathogens viz. fungi, bacteria, viruses, phytoplasmas, insects and nematodes, which are responsible for severe loss in crop production/ yield and also affecting loss of major genetic resource of MAPs too. Therefore, the disease caused by such pest and pathogen is a major limiting factor for the successful cultivation of major medicinal and aromatic plants. Although, chemical control of plant diseases has proved effective but it cannot be recommended to the farmers due to its high cost and adverse impact on non target organism, human, animal and environmental health. Due to enormous use of medicinal plants in herbal medicines, maximum care is the need of the hours to manage diseases of MAPs. Some of the other alternatives for disease management are available in medicinal and aromatic plants like resistant germplasm, useful organic materials, effective biocontrol agents and other cultural/physical method. Such resistant and tolerant germplasm could be exploited in future plant breeding programmes for developing resistant/ tolerant genotypes against major pest and pathogens. Various organic materials are available which have been proven useful to decrease disease incidence and enhanced MAPs yield and which could also be used in ongoing programmes for better and healthy plants. Large numbers of bio agents are available which could also be used on large scale to protect MAPs against various pest and pathogens. However, much attention is needed to study and develop a new strategy to mange major diseases in an ecofriendly way, which should be cost effective and environmentally friendly.