Pest management is being confronted with immense economic and environmental issues worldwide because of massive utilization and over-reliance on pesticides. The non-target toxicity, residual consequence, and challenging biodegradability of these synthetic pesticides have become a serious concern, which urgently requires the alternative and prompt adoption of sustainable and cost-effective pest control measures. Increasing attention in environmental safety has triggered interest in pest control approaches through eco-friendly plant-based pesticides. Botanical pesticidal constituents are effective against myriads of destructive pests and diseases. More importantly, they are widely available, inexpensive, accessible, rapidly biodegradable, and have little toxicity to beneficiary agents. The phytochemical compositions in diverse plant species are responsible for their varying mechanisms of action against pests and diseases. However, difficulties in their formulation and insufficient appropriate chemical data have led to a low level of acceptance and adoption globally. Therefore, the review seeks to highlight the status, phytochemical compositions, insecticidal mechanisms, and challenges of plant-based pesticide usage in sustainable agricultural production.

Maintaining soil health is fundamental to sustaining agricultural productivity, however, the intricate role of soil microbial diversity in this process is not fully understood. Current research acknowledges that soil microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, and archaea are pivotal in driving essential soil functions such as nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition, and disease suppression. However, the impacts of global environmental changes and intensive agricultural practices on the diversity of these microorganisms remain a critical gap in the literature. This gap is significant because a decline in microbial diversity could severely compromise soil health, and consequently crop productivity. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of the factors influencing soil microbial diversity and examine their implications for crop performance. We assess both natural factors such as soil pH, moisture, temperature, and vegetation type as well as human-induced factors including tillage systems and fertilizer application. The review synthesizes recent findings on how these factors shape microbial communities and their functional roles in nutrient cycling, soil structure formation, and disease suppression. Our analysis highlights the mechanisms by which microbial diversity enhances plant growth and yield, addressing the gap in understanding the direct links between microbial diversity and agricultural outcomes. Our findings underscore the urgent need for sustainable agricultural practices that protect and enhance microbial diversity to safeguard long-term soil fertility and crop productivity. By addressing the challenges in manipulating soil microbial communities and integrating microbial ecology with crop management practices, this research advances our ability to sustain agricultural systems in the face of global environmental changes.

Intensive use of chlorpyrifos has resulted in its ubiquitous presence as a contaminant in surface streams and soils. It is thus critically essential to develop bioremediation methods to degrade and eliminate this pollutant from environments. We present here that a new fungal strain Hu-01 with high chlorpyrifos-degradation activity was isolated and identified as Cladosporium cladosporioides based on the morphology and 5.8S rDNA gene analysis. Strain Hu-01 utilized 50 mg·L⁻¹ of chlorpyrifos as the sole carbon of source, and tolerated high concentration of chlorpyrifos up to 500 mg·L⁻¹. The optimum degradation conditions were determined to be 26.8°C and pH 6.5 based on the response surface methodology (RSM). Under these conditions, strain Hu-01 completely metabolized the supplemented chlorpyrifos (50 mg·L⁻¹) within 5 d. During the biodegradation process, transient accumulation of 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP) was observed. However, this intermediate product did not accumulate in the medium and disappeared quickly. No persistent accumulative metabolite was detected by gas chromatopraphy-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis at the end of experiment. Furthermore, degradation kinetics of chlorpyrifos and TCP followed the first-order model. Compared to the non-inoculated controls, the half-lives (t_1/2) of chlorpyrifos and TCP significantly reduced by 688.0 and 986.9 h with the inoculum, respectively. The isolate harbors the metabolic pathway for the complete detoxification of chlorpyrifos and its hydrolysis product TCP, thus suggesting the fungus may be a promising candidate for bioremediation of chlorpyrifos-contaminated water, soil or crop.

Current agricultural practices face numerous challenges, including declining soil fertility and heavy reliance on chemical inputs. Rhizosphere microbial metabolites have emerged as promising agents for enhancing crop health and yield in a sustainable manner. These metabolites, including phytohormones, antibiotics, and volatile organic compounds, play critical roles in promoting plant growth, boosting resistance to pathogens, and improving resilience to environmental stresses. This review comprehensively outlines the mechanisms through which rhizosphere microbial metabolites influence crop health, traits, functional components, and yield. It also discusses the potential applications of microbial secondary metabolites in biofertilizers and highlights the challenges associated with their production and practical use. Measures to overcome these challenges are proposed, alongside an exploration of the future development of the functional fertilizer industry. The findings presented here provide a scientific basis for utilizing rhizosphere microbial metabolites to enhance agricultural sustainability, offering new strategies for future crop management. Integrating these microbial strategies could lead to increased crop productivity, improved quality, and reduced dependence on synthetic chemical inputs, thereby supporting a more environmentally friendly and resilient agricultural system.