Published Paper Details:

Leguminous crops are among the most important agricultural commodities worldwide because of their nutritional value, nitrogen-fixing ability, and contribution to sustainable agriculture. However, production of legumes is significantly constrained by several fungal diseases, among which Alternaria diseases have emerged as serious threats in diverse agro-climatic regions. Species of the genus Alternaria infect a wide range of legume crops including clusterbean, chickpea, soybean, mungbean, cowpea, lentil, pea, pigeonpea, and blackgram. These pathogens cause leaf spots, blights, pod infections, seed discoloration, and severe yield losses under favorable environmental conditions. The present review summarizes current knowledge on taxonomy, biology, symptomatology, epidemiology, pathogenic variability, host-pathogen interaction, toxin production, disease cycle, and integrated management of Alternaria diseases in legumes. Environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, rainfall, and crop canopy significantly influence disease development and spread. Modern molecular tools have improved understanding of pathogen diversity and disease diagnostics. Integrated disease management involving resistant cultivars, cultural practices, biological control agents, botanicals, fungicides, and advanced molecular approaches offers sustainable disease suppression. The review also highlights future research priorities including climate-resilient disease management, genomics-assisted resistance breeding, and precision disease forecasting systems.