Logo image
Back
The emerging role of Fungi in sustainable farming and global food security
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

The emerging role of Fungi in sustainable farming and global food security

I S Manawasinghe, K D Hyde, A Balasuriya, N Suwannarach, N Boonyuen, D L Harishchandra, S C Karunarathna, S Khuna, J Kumla, AKH Priyashantha, …
Mycosphere, Vol.16(1), pp.4936-5064
2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5943/mycosphere/16/1/37
pdf
Published13.88 MBDownloadView
CC BY-NC-SA V4.0,  Open Access

Abstract

Bioremediation Climate change Entomopathogenic Plant growth promotion Soil degradation
Fungi are essential components of ecosystems, serving not only as decomposers and pathogens but also as vital contributors to plant growth, soil health, and food security. With the growing global demand for sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture, the role of fungi has become increasingly important. This review explores the diverse and expanding applications of fungi in modern green agriculture and assesses their ecological mechanisms, agronomic advantages, and potential implementation challenges. From ancient agriculture to the present, mycorrhizae play a central role in regenerative agriculture. These symbiotic relationships are essential for the survival of most plants, while in crops, they significantly improve productivity. This concept has been further expanded to utilise mycorrhizal symbiosis in soil rehabilitation. Recent advancements in fungi as plant growth promoters have shown significant effects in green agriculture. From simple volatile organic compounds to metabolites, fungi enhance and facilitate nutrient solubilization and availability. The application of fungi as biofertilizers, growth promoters, and biological control agents is not a single-directional process. Fungal antagonism involves not only pathogen suppression but also increased plant resistance coupled with growth promotion. For instance, application of Trichoderma species comes with a number of benefits. The use of entomopathogenic fungi has a long history and is now expanding towards the control of viruses and phytoplasma. Moving forward, the involvement of mushrooms in circular agriculture has been highly productive in many regions. In addition, fungi are gaining recognition in aquaculture and livestock production, waste recycling, fungal protein production, mycelium leather, and mulching. However, there are still many barriers to overcome, and the environmental adaptability and evolutionary dynamics of fungi pose ongoing challenges. Recent advancements in gene editing offer promising solutions, yet policy adoption and public acceptance remain hard barriers to overcome. In the era of artificial intelligence (AI), we believe that AI and machine learning will further enhance fungal applications, especially in disease epidemiology and crop management. Overall, this review serves as a comprehensive reference for researchers, farmers, and policymakers, providing insights and future directions while emphasising the urgent need for integrated, nature-based solutions. Fungi are poised to be key drivers in achieving regenerative, resilient, and decentralised food systems amid global climate and food security challenges.

Details

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#2 Zero Hunger

Source: InCites

Metrics

44 File views/ downloads
57 Record Views
1 Times Cited - Web of Science

InCites Highlights

These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output

Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
International collaboration
Citation topics
3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
3.32 Entomology
3.32.1364 Entomopathogenic Fungi
Web Of Science research areas
Mycology
ESI research areas
Plant & Animal Science
Logo image