Transgenic approaches for improving fungal disease resistance in groundnut

Fungal diseases in groundnut are the most significant limiting factor causing more than 50% yield losses throughout the world. Genetic enhancement in groundnut through conventional breeding and chemical control has yielded only limited success. More recently, genetic transformation has led to possibility of transforming crops for increased resistance to fungal diseases. This review summarizes the advances of genetic engineering applied for improvement of groundnut disease resistance against fungal pathogens. Fungal resistant transgene of plant, bacterial or fungal origin can be introduced into groundnut for enhanced disease resistance. Progress in engineering fungal disease resistance in transgenic ground nut has been accomplished through expression of PR proteins, antifungal proteins, antimicrobial proteins, ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIP) and phytoalexins