Extensive farming usually depends on the use of chemicals to mitigate crop losses from diseases; however, sustainable alternatives have been getting popular as they are our only hope for the future. The plant microbiome, especially the microbial communities in the rhizosphere and endosphere, is a line of research that indicates how disease resistance can be improved through the microbiome of the root while, at the same time, environmental sustainability is being promoted. Plant root exudates are the leading impetus for diversity and favor the host plant between these microbial populations. They contribute to the plant growth development, as well as strengthening the plant's mechanisms to resist biotic and abiotic stresses. Microbes in the rhizosphere and endospores trigger the mechanism to increase plant resistance to diseases, such as the induction of systemic resistance and the production of siderophores, secondary metabolites, and antimicrobial compounds. This review highlights the possibility of converting the plant microbiome into a new program for sustainable disease management by going deeper into the complex relations between different plants and their related microbiomes. A lack of understanding of these microbiome dynamics remains the main bottleneck to precise microbiome-based interventions. Yet, there is a ray of hope for microbiome-engineering-based interventions to our environmental issues and economically unstable plant disease management in modern agriculture.

Tilletia laevis causes common bunt disease in wheat, with severe losses of production yield and seed quality. Metabolomics studies provide detailed information about the biochemical changes at the cell and tissue level of the plants. Ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography–Q-exactive mass spectrometry (UPLC-QE-MS) was used to examine the changes in wheat grains after T. laevis infection. PCA analysis suggested that T. laevis-infected and non-infected samples were scattered separately during the interaction. In total, 224 organic acids and their derivatives, 170 organoheterocyclic compounds, 128 lipids and lipid-like molecules, 85 organic nitrogen compounds, 64 benzenoids, 31 phenylpropanoids and polyketides, 21 nucleosides, nucleotides, their analogues, and 10 alkaloids and derivatives were altered in hyphal-infected grains. According to The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and genomes analysis, the protein digestion and absorption, biosynthesis of amino acids, arginine and proline metabolism, vitamin digestion and absorption, and glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism pathways were activated in wheat crops after T. laevis infection.

Fusarium solani is a major soil-borne pathogen responsible for root rot diseases, posing a significant threat to agricultural productivity. The development of environmentally sustainable alternatives to chemical fungicides is therefore urgently needed. This study evaluated the antifungal activity of fermentation broths and extracellular metabolites derived from Tilletia laevis fungi at different developmental stages against F. solani under in vitro conditions. Six test agents, including carbendazim (one positive fungicide control), caffeic acid, phenylacetylglycine, and 6-hydroxypyridine-2-carboxylic acid (candidate bioactive metabolites), were evaluated for mycelial growth inhibition, EC₅₀ values, and physiological responses. All treatments exhibited concentration-dependent inhibitory effects, with carbendazim showing the highest activity (EC₅₀ = 21.26 mg L⁻¹). Among the metabolites, 6-hydroxypyridine-2-carboxylic acid and phenylacetylglycine demonstrated notable antifungal efficacy, particularly at higher concentrations. Fermentation broths from the promycelial stage showed stronger inhibition than those from the teliospore stage, indicating stage-specific metabolite activity. Biochemical analyses of F. solani mycelia revealed significant changes in soluble protein, soluble sugar, and antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD and POD), suggesting that antifungal effects are mediated through metabolic disruption and oxidative stress. These findings highlight the potential of T. laevis-derived metabolites as eco-friendly biofungicides and provide a theoretical basis for sustainable management of soil-borne diseases. Further studies are required to identify active compounds and validate their efficacy under field conditions.