The concept of health has been widely used to refer to soils, crops or agroecosystems. It resembles the idea of wholeness or general well-being, which is interesting to integrate different disciplines. There have been valuable contributions in the area of agroecological management of diseases, pests and weeds with the aim of promoting crop health. Nevertheless, they remain relatively disconnected and lack of a comprehensive conceptual framework that helps to define crop health and how to promote it. The aim of this article is to re-conceptualize the notion of crop health from a transdisciplinary and holistic perspective. The system of reference is redefined by including the relationships between the populations of domesticated plants and the farmers. This implies a multidimensional approach and assumes that crop health is related to farmers’ objectives, knowledge, point of views and values. Based on the review of studies in the field of agroecology, four components are proposed to evaluate crop health status: usefulness, adversities, safety and autonomy. Three components of health promotion were adapted from the salutogenic model proposed for human health: meaningfulness, comprehensiveness and manageability. This article intends to make a contribution on theoretical and conceptual aspects of a key concept for agroecology.

The common pea (Pisum sativum L.) is widely cultivated due to its nutritional value and adaptability, though climate change and increasing food demand require improved agricultural strategies. The genus Metarhizium, an entomopathogenic fungus, has shown potential to enhance plant growth and physiology. This study aims to evaluate the effect of naturalized Metarhizium spp. isolates on agronomic parameters and root architecture of Pisum sativum seedlings under greenhouse conditions. Fungi were isolated from rhizosphere soils using Tenebrio molitor larvae. Six Metarhizium strains and a control (sterile distilled water) were tested, with eight replicates per treatment. After 36 days, growth parameters and chlorophyll content were measured at ambient temperatures between 12.1 ± 1.5 and 42.4 ± 2.4 °C. Significant differences were analyzed using Tukey’s HSD post hoc test (p < 0.05). Significant increases in shoot length were observed in strains MM23B and MM26B (13.2 ± 0.6 and 13.0 ± 1.1 cm). Stem diameter was higher in MM23B, G9C, and MM30D (3.1–3.2 mm). Chlorophyll content increased moderately, with MM29C reaching 296.7 ± 35.9 compared to 242.5 ± 22.8 µmol m⁻² in the control. Shoot biomass was highest in G9C, MM23B, and MM26B (0.27–0.29 g) with higher shoot/root ratios in MM23B and MM26B (2.41 and 2.58). Root biomass showed no significant differences. However, root system architecture was modified, particularly in MM26B, which significantly increased root length (239.08 ± 34.22 cm) and area (20.70 ± 2.13 cm²), without changes in volume or diameter. Finally, naturalized Metarhizium spp. isolates demonstrated potential as plant growth-promoting fungi, improving physiological and morphological parameters in early P. sativum development.

Conventional agriculture based on intensive agrochemical use threatens human health and worsens food insecurity, making multifunctional biological control agents a strategic priority. Entomopathogenic Metarhizium fungi combine insect pathogenicity with plant growth promotion. This study isolated native entomopathogenic fungi naturalized in La Araucanía, Chile, assessing in vitro growth-promoting traits and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) physiology under greenhouse conditions. Twenty-five soil samples were collected from agroecological plots in La Araucanía; using Tenebrio molitor larvae as bait, and 59 fungal isolates were recovered using a monosporic culture. Isolates were evaluated in vitro for AlPO₄, phytic acid solubilization, indole-3-acetic acid and siderophore production. In total, 22 promising isolates were identified by ITS1–5.8S–ITS2 sequencing and Maximum Likelihood phylogenetics. Six isolates (MM23B, MM29C, G5X, MM26B, G9C, MM30D) were tested on tomato (S. lycopersicum) under a randomized greenhouse design (CRD), measuring growth, gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, water use efficiency (WUE), photosynthetic pigments and lipid peroxidation. Highest AlPO₄ solubilization indices (3.24–3.14) were recorded for MM15D, MM17B, MM23D, and G5X. MM16B showed the highest phytic acid solubilization (40.5%) and MM24B the highest siderophore production (88.86%). Under greenhouse conditions, MM30D produced the highest net photosynthesis (131.24% above control), ΦPSII (0.2134), electron transport rate (56.00), and WUE (51.98), while G5X exhibited the highest stomatal conductance (0.39 mol H₂O m⁻² s⁻¹), transpiration (3.506), and maximum quantum yield (0.6784). All inoculated plants showed higher WUE than the control (19.43). Naturalized Metarhizium isolates from La Araucanía possess multifunctional traits supporting sustainable bioinput formulation.