These days, two important issues are causing concern in the global community: the alarmingly growing trend of the human population and the issue of food security. To this end, people around the world have been searching for solutions that could feed the needy in a sustainable way. In response to this urgent call, scientists from around the world started working on increasing crop production and productivity by controlling crop pathogens that could harm the productivity of crops. Synthetic fungicides have been in use for controlling crop diseases for several decades, but later, due to the evidenced side effects of the fungicides, there have been attempts to shift towards a less cost-effective and eco-friendly method of controlling crop diseases, and so far, many remarkable results have been achieved. However, due to the less effective and shorter shelf life of microbial biofungicides, as well as the less accessibility of these microbial biofungicides to growers around the world, it became difficult to remove the fungicides totally from the market. To minimize this problem, researchers suggested an integrated approach: the combination of microbial biofungicides with a reduced dose of synthetic fungicides. Hence, this review explored the status as well as the merits and demerits of microbial biofungicides as compared to synthetic fungicides.

Postharvest disease management is vital to increase the quality and productivity of crops. As part of crop disease protection, people used different agrochemicals and agricultural practices to manage postharvest diseases. However, the widespread use of agrochemicals in pest and disease control has detrimental effects on consumer health, the environment, and fruit quality. To date, different approaches are being used to manage postharvest diseases. The use of microorganisms to control postharvest disease is becoming an eco-friendly and environmentally sounds approach. There are many known and reported biocontrol agents, including bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes. Nevertheless, despite the abundance of publications on biocontrol agents, the use of biocontrol in sustainable agriculture requires substantial research, effective adoption, and comprehension of the interactions between plants, pathogens, and the environment. To accomplish this, this review made an effort to locate and summarize earlier publications on the function of microbial biocontrol agents against postharvest crop diseases. Additionally, this review aims to investigate biocontrol mechanisms, their modes of operation, potential future applications for bioagents, as well as difficulties encountered during the commercialization process.

Bacterial wilt induced by Ralstonia solanacearum is one of the most damaging and widespread diseases of tomatoes in the world. Biological control with rhizobacteria is one of the efficient components of integrated pest management methods used to control the disease and enhance production. To this end, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (Bacillus isolate BDUA1, and Pseudomonas isolates BBDUA2 and BDUA3) isolated from the tomato rhizosphere were evaluated for their plant growth-promoting traits using standard methods, and selected isolates were also tested for their biocontrol efficacy on tomato bacterial wilt disease under greenhouse conditions. All isolates produced cellulase and lipase, and only BDUA1 and BDUA3 produced protease and amylase. Besides, BDUA1 and BDUA2 showed phosphate solubilization and production of indole-3-acetic acid, HCN, and siderophore, while BDUA3 solubilized phosphate and produced HCN and siderophore. Our results showed that BDUA1 and BDUA2 reduced bacterial wilt incidence on the Maya variety by 51.9 and 48.5, respectively, and on the Melkesalsa variety by 51.8 and 48.5, respectively. Treatment of the Melkesalsa variety with BDUA1 displayed the highest height (36.91cm), followed by treatment with BDUA2 (31.74cm) on the same variety. BDUA1 induced the highest effect on increasing the dry weight of shoots and roots by 4.16g and 0.59g in the Maya variety and in the Melkesalsa variety by 3.63g and 0.48g, respectively. Similarly, BDUA2 had the greatest effect on increasing the dry weight of shoots and roots by 3.8g and 0.54g of the Maya variety and on the Melkesalsa variety by 3.12g and 0.41g, respectively. The overall result showed that BDUA1 and BDUA2 could be used as promising plant growth promotion and biocontrol agents for the management of tomato bacterial wilt disease provided they were validated under field conditions.

Plant growth‐promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) associated with roots produce several biomolecules that stimulate plant growth. The study aimed to assess the potential of PGPR for tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L.) growth enhancement. Three PGPR isolates ( Pseudomonas isolates PIA2 and PIA3, and Bacillus isolate BIA1) were evaluated for growth promotion under greenhouse conditions. The experiment was conducted in three replications using Maya and Melkesalsa tomato varieties in a completely randomized design. Treatment with BIA1 resulted in the highest fresh weights of shoots (29.05 g) and roots (3.72 g) for the Maya variety (TC1) and 28.69 and 2.76 g for the Melkesalsa variety (TC2), respectively. Treatment with PIA2 showed maximum fresh weights of the shoots (25.05 g) and roots (3.26 g) for the TC2. Tomato plants treated with BIA1 and PIA2 exhibited significant increases in height, by 40.1% and 22.6% in the TC1 and 45.2% and 27.6% in the TC2, respectively. Besides, treatments with BIA1 and PIA2 in the TC1 increased the dry weight of shoots by 46.6% and 30.2% and that of roots by 73.3% and 68.7%, respectively. For the TC2, BIA1 and PIA2 isolates increased the dry weight of roots by 54.9% and 34.4% and that of roots by 68.1% and 48.9%, respectively. The results generally showed that BIA1 and PIA2 could be used to foster plant growth. Further study under field the conditions of BIA1 and PIA2 are highly recommended.

Cosmetic products frequently contain synthetic toxic compounds that may pose health risks. However, no prior comprehensive study has synthesized evidence on the prevalence of cosmetic use, associated adverse health events, and their determinants in Ethiopia. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled percentage of cosmetic use, adverse events, and associated factors in Ethiopia. Relevant studies were retrieved from PubMed, ScienceDirect, Springer Nature, and Google Scholar. The data were analyzed using Stata 17, with heterogeneity assessed by the I² statistic and publication bias evaluated through Egger’s regression test and funnel plots. The pooled prevalence of cosmetic users in Ethiopia was 93%, while 47% of users reported adverse health events from six studies. Significant predictors of adverse outcomes included reliance on traditional cosmetics, unsafe sources of products, adding water or saliva before use, frequent application, and sharing of cosmetics. Given the widespread use and substantial burden of adverse reactions, targeted interventions are urgently needed. Public health authorities should strengthen awareness programs, regulate the quality and distribution of cosmetics, and promote safer consumer practices to minimize health risks in Ethiopia.

Background: Malaria, caused by Plasmodium parasites, is a significant health issue in Ethiopia, including the current study area. However, its epidemiology and associated factors are not well understood. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of malaria and associated factors among patients attending Finote Selam General Hospital, northwest Ethiopia. Methods: A hospital‐based cross‐sectional study was conducted at Finote Selam General Hospital in April–May 2022. A structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic and other explanatory variables from 424 randomly selected participants. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate malaria prevalence. Pearson’s chi‐square test examined the relationship between malaria cases and independent factors. Bivariate logistic regression identified variables with p values < 0.25, which were then included in multivariate logistic regression. Differences with p values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: Out of 424 blood samples, 93 (21.9%) were malaria‐positive. Among these cases, 69.9% were P . falciparum , 23.7% were P . vivax , and 6.5% were mixed infections. Multivariate logistic regression revealed significant associated factors: age group ( p = 0.001), participant’s residence ( p < 0.001), occupation ( p < 0.001), and family income ( p = 0.002), knowledge of malaria prevention ( p = 0.036), environmental sanitation ( p = 0.032), stagnant water near home ( p < 0.001), and ITN usage ( p = 0.001). Conclusions: Malaria remains an important public health concern in the study area. Several demographic, environmental, and behavioral factors were significantly associated with malaria infection. Strengthening existing malaria prevention and control measures and conducting further entomological and longitudinal studies are recommended.