The Potential of Piperidine Alkaloids-rich Extracts from Prosopis spp. to Combat Plant Pests and Diseases

The genus Prosopis comprises 44 species of spiny small trees adapted to arid and semiarid regions of the planet that have been used by human populations as a source of wood, food and medicine. Prosopis spp. possess high quantities of phenolic compounds and piperidine alkaloids with antioxidant, neurotoxic, antimicrobial, antimalarial, insecticidal and allelopathic activities. Juliprosopine is the major and more characterized piperidine alkaloid present in the genus Prosopis. In this review we present the potential of Prosopis spp. extracts and piperidine alkaloids for the control of plant pests and diseases and discuss the possibility of their use as an alternative in organic agriculture.