Innovations and Challenges in Microbial Biopesticide Development for Sustainable Agriculture

Microbial biotechnology is advancing the discovery, development, and application of biopesticides as sustainable tools for crop protection. Bacteria, fungi, viruses, algae, and their bioactive metabolites can provide species-specific pest and pathogen control while potentially reducing the environmental and health concerns associated with synthetic pesticides. However, inconsistent efficacy under field conditions, limited shelf life, sensitivity to environmental factors, production costs, regulatory complexity, and challenges in formulation and scale-up continue to constrain their wider adoption. Recent studies have demonstrated that genomics, metagenomics, systems biology, synthetic biology, and metabolic engineering can accelerate the identification and optimization of microbial strains and pesticidal compounds. Advances in fermentation, downstream processing, encapsulation, nanotechnology, and precision delivery are also improving product stability, target specificity, and field performance. Nevertheless, gaps remain in translating laboratory findings into reliable agricultural solutions, understanding interactions among microbial agents, crops, pests, soils, and non-target organisms, and establishing harmonized approaches for risk assessment and commercialization. Further investigation is therefore needed to connect mechanistic discoveries with scalable, effective, and ecologically responsible biopesticide technologies.

This Research Topic aims to advance understanding of the biological mechanisms, biotechnological innovations, and practical challenges associated with microbial biopesticide development. It will consider how strain selection, genetic and metabolic engineering, process optimization, formulation, delivery, and environmental compatibility can improve efficacy, stability, scalability, and reproducibility. Contributions may also examine the ecological effects, biosafety, regulatory requirements, economic feasibility, and farmer adoption of microbial biopesticides. By integrating fundamental and applied research, this Research Topic seeks to support the development of reliable microbial solutions that contribute to integrated pest management, reduce reliance on synthetic chemicals, strengthen food security, and promote sustainable agricultural production.

To gather further insights into microbial biopesticides for sustainable crop protection, this Research Topic will cover research ranging from microbial discovery and mode-of-action studies to formulation, field validation, and commercialization. It will focus on microbial agents and technologies with demonstrated or emerging relevance to agricultural pest, pathogen, and disease management, while recognizing the importance of environmental safety, regulatory compliance, and implementation across diverse farming systems. We welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

o Discovery, screening, and characterization of bacterial, fungal, viral, and algal biopesticides

o Microbial metabolites, toxins, enzymes, and other pesticidal bioactive compounds

o Genomics, metagenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and systems biology for biopesticide development

o Genetic engineering, synthetic biology, and metabolic engineering of microbial biocontrol agents

o Microbe–plant, microbe–pest, microbe–pathogen, and microbe–soil interactions

o Mechanisms of action, host specificity, resistance management, and synergistic interactions

o Fermentation, physicochemical process optimization, scale-up, and downstream processing

o Formulation technologies, encapsulation, nanomaterials, and controlled or targeted delivery systems

o Shelf life, storage stability, environmental tolerance, and product quality control

o Greenhouse, semi-field, and field evaluation of efficacy and consistency

o Compatibility with integrated pest management and other agricultural inputs

o Effects on beneficial organisms, biodiversity, soil health, and ecosystem functioning

Please note that Microbiotechnology does not consider descriptive studies that are solely based on amplicon (e.g., 16S rRNA) profiles or comparisons of nucleic acid extracts (e.g., metagenomics), unless they are accompanied by a clear hypothesis and experimentation and provide insight into the microbiological system or process being studied.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Biopesticide, Pathogen control, Microbial biopesticide, Sustainable agriculture

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.