As agriculture faces mounting pressure to produce more food sustainably, biopesticides and engineered microbes are emerging as key tools in reducing chemical use, enhancing crop resilience, and promoting soil health.
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What are Biopesticides?
Biopesticides are naturally derived pest control compounds that provide a safer and more target-specific alternative to traditional chemical pesticides.1
The symbiotic relationship between plants and microbes sustains plant life: plants provide nutrition, and, in turn, microbes provide the essential metabolites required for plant growth and stress resistance.2,3
Microbes, such as diazotrophic microbes, convert nitrogen gas into plant-available nitrogen, promoting plant growth (biofertilization). Some microbes also produce plant hormones or metabolites, similar to plant hormones, which support plant growth and development (biostimulation).3
Biopesticides are typically made up of (i) biochemicals (such as plant extracts, microbial extracts, and fermentation products), (ii) microbial biopesticides (such as bacteria, viruses, and oomycetes), (iii) macrobials (such as insect predators and parasitoids), and traditional biocontrol agents.1
Enhancing Beneficial Soil Microbes
Novel synthetic biology tools are continuously being developed to address current obstacles in environmental sustainability, such as enhancing native microbial functions, introducing new plant characteristics, and developing biological sensors.4
Genetic engineering has had a particularly significant impact on agriculture. Advancements in RNA interference have encouraged the development of biotechnological genetic tools, enabling the modification of specific genes at the expression level.2
Researchers have developed a range of gene-editing technologies over the past few decades to improve crop productivity. One way gene-editing has been used is to modify local microbial environments.2
Nitrogen-fixing and phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria, such as the Bacillus species, play a significant role in increasing nutrient availability in nutrient-depleted soils.2
Studies of Bacillus subtilis have revealed its ability to mitigate heat stress by regulating plant growth hormones or producing heat-shock proteins. This bacteria can help plants cope with high temperatures by enhancing its stress resistance mechanism.2
Bacillus subtilis can produce a range of chemically diverse secondary metabolites. These components include lipoproteins, polypeptides and proteins, as well as non-peptide components.
One strain of Bacillus subtilis produces cyclic lipopeptides, part of the iturin group. Iturins have strong in vitro inhibitory characteristics on a great number of fungi, and can be used to produce vital drugs and biocontrol products.2
When developing biopesticides, Bacillus subtilis is a valuable tool for producing high volumes of natural antifungal compounds that can help improve crop survival.2,4 Iturins are especially effective at promoting biodegradation compared to traditional chemical agents. This makes them a more efficient and sustainable option for enhancing soil health while offering stronger protection for crops.2
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Benefits and Challenges of Biopesticides
The increased demand for biopesticides is partially due to the decline in traditional pesticide use, as farmers adopt more climate-smart agricultural practices.1
Biopesticides are particularly advantageous in this regard as they are derived from more natural compounds. As a result, they are slow to develop pest resistance and have a low toxicity to humans and the environment. These properties also support greater preservation of biodiversity. Whilst biopesticides can be used on their own as a sustainable alternative, they can also complement traditional chemical pesticides.1
However, the benefits of biopesticides compared to traditional chemical pesticides go well beyond sustainability. They are host-specific, biodegradable, and pose a low risk of post-harvest contamination. In addition, they withstand environmental stress well and align seamlessly with integrated pest management (IPM) strategies.1
However, biopesticides do carry some challenges. They are ineffective amongst all pesticide types—their efficacy differs depending on the species they target. Some pests can also have natural resistance or tolerance to certain types of biopesticides.1
Biopesticides: Market Insight
In 2024, the global market value of pesticides was 3.5 billion USD, and their value is only expected to increase. Estimates put the global market value up to 8.7 billion USD by 2034, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.3 %.5
The growth and demand for biopesticides is ever-increasing as sustainable agriculture is becoming globally adopted; subsidies, grants, and governmental policies surrounding sustainable agriculture are becoming more and more common.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the European Food and Safety Authority (EFSA) have furthered this with the recent implementation of a new product marketing biopesticide approval process. This process provides simpler and faster authorization of associated permits for biopesticides, accelerating their production.5
Breaking the biopesticide market down further into bioherbicides, bioinsecticides, biofungicides, and more, demand for sustainable agriculture is only increasing. Bioinsecticides accounted for 48.7 % of the market share in 2024, and this value is estimated to increase with a CAGR of 9.2 % in 2034.5
The Future: Synthetic Microbial Communities
To meet the needs of a growing global population, it is estimated that agricultural productivity will need to increase by 70 % by 2050. Innovative, sustainable solutions will be needed to implement this, including using synthetic microbial communities. Synthetic microbial communities are highly selective microbial species that provide a desirable microbiome for plant growth.6
The rhizosphere is a part of plants that can be compared to the human gut and its microbiome. It is a small region of soil surrounding the plant roots, which is directly influenced by exudates from the root. This area is colonized by a diverse community of microbes that serve as the plant's first line of defense against pathogens and play a key role in various physiological processes.6
Engineering microbes to mimic the function and structure of microbiomes found in natural conditions helps maintain the symbiotic relationships supporting plant and microbial health.2,3,6 However, designing and managing synthetic microbial communities remains a major challenge for microbial ecologists, especially given that a single gram of soil can contain up to 10 billion microorganisms.6
Bacteria dominate most microbial environments and have been the primary choice for creating synthetic microbial communities to date. Certain bacteria, including specific strains of Bacillus and Streptomyces, have been shown to suppress damping-off disease caused by Rhizoctonia solani, a pathogen known to inhibit seed germination.6
By selecting beneficial and diverse microbes in synthetic microbial communities, scientists can create environments that address several challenges in the soil. These communities can provide protection against diseases and pathogens, ensure plant vitality, and increase soil health and survival.1,6
There is huge potential in bioengineering soil microbial environments. However, challenges include plant colonization and the long-term stability of synthetic microbe communities.6
As the demand for sustainable food production grows and pests become increasingly resistant to traditional chemical pesticides, innovative approaches like biopesticides and engineered microbes offer a promising path forward. These solutions can deliver environmental, health, and even economic benefits for the future of agriculture.1
References
1. Tadesse Mawcha K et al., Recent Advances in Biopesticide Research and Development with a Focus on Microbials. F1000Research. 2025;13:1071. doi:10.12688/f1000research.154392.5.
2. Patyal U, Bala R, Kaur M, Faizan M, Alam P., Phyto-Microbiome Engineering: Designing Plant-Microbe Interactions for Improved Crop Performance. The Microbe. 2025;6:100272. doi:10.1016/j.microb.2025.100272.
3. Han S-W, Yoshikuni Y., Microbiome Engineering for Sustainable Agriculture: Using Synthetic Biology to Enhance Nitrogen Metabolism in Plant-Associated Microbes. Current Opinion in Microbiology. 2022;68:102172. doi:10.1016/j.mib.2022.102172.
4. Jansson JK, McClure R, Egbert RG., Soil Microbiome Engineering for Sustainability in a Changing Environment. Nature Biotechnology. 2023;41(12):1716-1728. doi:10.1038/s41587-023-01932-3.
5. Biopesticides Market Size, Share, Growth Analysis Report 2025–2034. Global Market Insights Inc. https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/biopesticides-market. Published March 2025. Accessed June 12, 2025.
6. Martins SJ, et al., The Use of Synthetic Microbial Communities to Improve Plant Health. Phytopathology®. 2023;113(8):1369-1379. doi:10.1094/phyto-01-23-0016-ia.