Harnessing Microalgae and Cyanobacteria for Sustainable Agriculture: Mechanistic Insights and Applications as Biostimulants, Biofertilizers and Biocontrol Agents

Ana Jurado-Flores, Luis G. Heredia-Martínez, Gloria Torres-Cortes () and Encarnación Díaz-Santos ()
Additional contact information
Ana Jurado-Flores: Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis (IBVF/CSIC), cicCartuja, Calle Américo Vespucio, 49, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
Luis G. Heredia-Martínez: Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique (IBPC), CNRS, 75005 Paris, France
Gloria Torres-Cortes: Innoplant S.L., Calle Reina Sofía 66, Viznar, 18179 Granada, Spain
Encarnación Díaz-Santos: Laboratory of Biochemistry, Faculty of Experimental Sciences, Marine International Campus of Excellence and REMSMA, University of Huelva, 21071 Huelva, Spain

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 17, 1-29

Abstract: The prolonged and intensive use of chemical inputs in agriculture, particularly synthetic fertilizers, has generated a variety of environmental and agronomic challenges. This has intensified the need for alternative, viable, and sustainable solutions. Plant-associated microbes have emerged as promising candidates in this regard. While research has largely focused on bacteria and fungi, comparatively less attention has been paid to other microbial groups such as microalgae and cyanobacteria. These photosynthetic microorganisms offer multiple agronomic benefits, including the ability to capture CO 2 , assimilate essential micro- and macroelements, and synthesize a wide range of high-value metabolites. Their metabolic versatility enables the production of bioactive molecules with biostimulant and biocontrol properties, as well as biofertilizer potential through their intrinsic nutrient content. Additionally, several cyanobacterial species can fix atmospheric nitrogen, further enhancing their agricultural relevance. This review aims to summarize the potential of these microorganisms and their application in the agriculture sector, focusing primarily on their biofertilization, biostimulation, and biocontrol capabilities and presents a compilation of the products currently available on the market that are derived from these microorganisms. The present work also identifies the gaps in the use of these microorganisms and provides prospects for developing a suitable solution for today′s agriculture.

Keywords: microalgae; cyanobacteria; biofertilizer; biostimulant; biocontrol agents; sustainable agriculture; circular bioeconomy; plant growth-promoting microorganisms (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/17/1842/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/17/1842/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:17:p:1842-:d:1737292

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().