Biosurfactants as green solutions for sustainable farming: Mechanisms, challenges, and future directions in agroecology

Abstract

Biosurfactants are amphiphilic compounds synthesized by microorganisms such as Pseudomonas and Bacillus with considerable potential for supporting sustainable agriculture due to their multifaceted roles in plant-microbe-soil interactions. This review emphasizes current knowledge on biosurfactant physicochemical properties, including surface tension reduction, micelle formation, and metal chelation, which enhance nutrient bioavailability, soil structure, and pollutant degradation. Biosurfactants modulate rhizosphere dynamics by facilitating quorum sensing, root colonization, and the induction of systemic resistance. Their antimicrobial properties contribute as a biocontrol agent against soil-borne pathogens such as Fusarium and Phytophthora . In addition, biosurfactants alleviate abiotic stresses, such as salinity and heavy metal toxicity thereby supporting climate-resilient farming. Recent advancements in high-throughput analytical techniques and omics approaches have provide deep knowledge about molecular mechanisms through which biosurfactant influence microbial communication, plant-microbe interactions, and abiotic stress tolerance. Despite their enormous potential, the large-scale application of biosurfactants is restricted by various challenges such as soil heterogeneity, high production costs, lack of standardized protocols and assessment methodologies. This review highlights emerging conceptual frameworks that integrate system biology with precision agriculture to connect mechanistic understanding with field applications. Future research should be focus on the development of synthetic microbial consortia, advance delivery systems, and participatory field studies to optimize biosurfactant efficacy. Overall, biosurfactants can be represent as promising tool for sustainable agroecological expansion as they are capable of reducing dependency on chemical inputs and enhancing soil health in diverse farming systems.