Natural Products from Marine Microorganisms with Agricultural Applications

Global agricultural production is challenging due to climate change and a number of phyto-pathogenic organisms and pests that pose a significant threat to both crop growth and productivity. The growing resistance of pests and diseases to synthetic chemicals makes crop production even more difficult, which highlights the urgent need for alternative solutions. From this perspective, marine microorganisms have emerged as a significant natural product source for their distinctive bioactive compounds and environmentally sustainable potential pesticidal activity. The unique microbial resources and structurally diverse metabolites of the marine ecosystem have been proven to have strong antagonistic effects against a broad spectrum of agricultural diseases and pests, making them a valuable candidate for the development of novel pesticides. This review highlights 126 marine natural products from marine microorganisms with diverse metabolic pathways and bioactivities against agricultural pests, pathogens, and weeds. The findings underscore the potential of marine-derived compounds in addressing the growing challenges of crop protection and offering an appealing strategy for future agrochemical research and development.