Lesson from Ecotoxicity: Revisiting the Microbial Lipopeptides for the Management of Emerging Diseases for Crop Protection

Microorganisms area treasure in terms of the production of various bioactive compounds which are being explored in different arenas of applied sciences. In agriculture, microbes and their bioactive compounds are being utilized in growth promotion and health promotion with nutrient fortification and its acquisition. Exhaustive explorations are unraveling the vast diversity of microbial compounds with their potential usage in solving multiferous problems in crop production. Lipopeptides are one of such microbial compounds which havestrong antimicrobial properties against different plant pathogens. These compounds are reported to be produced by bacteria, cyanobacteria, fungi, and few other microorganisms; however, genus Bacillus alone produces a majority of diverse lipopeptides. Lipopeptides are low molecular weight compounds which have multiple industrial roles apart from being use das biosurfactants and antimicrobials. In plant protection, lipopeptides have wide prospects owing to theirpore-forming ability in pathogens, siderophore activity, biofilm inhibition, and dislodging activity, preventing colonization bypathogens, antiviral activity, etc. Microbes with lipopeptides that have all these actions are good biocontrol agents. Exploring these antimicrobial compounds could widen the vistas of biological pest control for existing and emerging plant pathogens. The broader diversity and strong antimicrobial behavior of lipopeptides could be a boon for dealing with complex pathosystems and controlling diseases of greater economic importance. Understanding which and how these compounds modulate the synthesis and production of defense-related biomolecules in the plants is a key question-the answer of which needs in-depth investigation. The present review provides a comprehensive picture of important lipopeptides produced by plant microbiome, their isolation, characterization, mechanisms of disease control, behavior against phytopathogens to understand different aspects of antagonism, and potential prospects for future explorations as antimicrobial agents. Understanding and exploring the antimicrobial lipopeptides from bacteria and fungi could also open up an entire new arena of biopesticides for effective control of devastating plant diseases.