The use of biofertilizers in developing environmentally friendly agriculture as an alternative to chemical‐based fertilizers in enhancing food production is promising in sustainable agriculture for the improvement in the yield of some commercial crops such as sunflowers and other oilseed crops in terms of quality and quantity. Sunflower is an important oilseed crop native to South America and currently cultivated throughout the world. Generally, the sunflower is considered important based on its nutritional and medicinal value. Due to its beneficial health effects, sunflower has been recognized as functional foods or nutraceutical, although not yet fully harnessed. Sunflower contains mineral elements and phytochemicals such as dietary fiber, manganese, vitamins, tocopherols, phytosterols, triterpene glycosides, α‐tocopherol, glutathione reductase, flavonoids, phenolic acids, carotenoids, peptides, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, alkaloids, tannins, and saponins; and these compounds contribute to their functional and nutraceutical development. The extract from sunflower is known to be a potential source of antimicrobial, anti‐inflammatory, antitumor, and antioxidants agents that protect human cells against harmful reactive oxygen molecules and pathogenic microorganisms. Also, the pharmacological survey on sunflower had revealed its curative power to different kinds of diseases. The health benefits of sunflower include blood pressure and diabetic control, skin protection, and lowering cholesterol and other functions. This review is written with appropriate referencing to previously published work and provides updated information regarding the new method of organic farming for sunflower production, nutritional and health benefits, and its by‐products as human diet and livestock feed. Also, the constraints of sunflower production are elucidated.

Endophytic microbes are microorganisms that colonize the intracellular spaces within the plant tissues without exerting any adverse or pathological effects. Currently, the world population is facing devastating chronic diseases that affect humans. The resistance of pathogens to commercial antibiotics is increasing, thus limiting the therapeutic potential and effectiveness of antibiotics. Consequently, the need to search for novel, affordable and nontoxic natural bioactive compounds from endophytic fungi in developing new drugs with multifunction mechanisms to meet human needs is essential. Fungal endophytes produce invaluable bioactive metabolic compounds beneficial to humans with antimicrobial, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antitumor properties, etc. Some of these bioactive compounds include pestacin, taxol, camptothecin, ergoflavin, podophyllotoxin, benzopyran, isopestacin, phloroglucinol, tetrahydroxy-1-methylxanthone, salidroside, borneol, dibenzofurane, methyl peniphenone, lipopeptide, peniphenone etc. Despite the aforementioned importance of endophytic fungal metabolites, less information is available on their exploration and pharmacological importance. Therefore, in this review, we shall elucidate the fungal bioactive metabolites from medicinal plants and their pharmacological potential.

Over the years, synthetic pesticides like herbicides, algicides, miticides, bactericides, fumigants, termiticides, repellents, insecticides, molluscicides, nematicides, and pheromones have been used to improve crop yield. When pesticides are used, the over-application and excess discharge into water bodies during rainfall often lead to death of fish and other aquatic life. Even when the fishes still live, their consumption by humans may lead to the biomagnification of chemicals in the body system and can cause deadly diseases, such as cancer, kidney diseases, diabetes, liver dysfunction, eczema, neurological destruction, cardiovascular diseases, and so on. Equally, synthetic pesticides harm the soil texture, soil microbes, animals, and plants. The dangers associated with the use of synthetic pesticides have necessitated the need for alternative use of organic pesticides (biopesticides), which are cheaper, environment friendly, and sustainable. Biopesticides can be sourced from microbes (e.g., metabolites), plants (e.g., from their exudates, essential oil, and extracts from bark, root, and leaves), and nanoparticles of biological origin (e.g., silver and gold nanoparticles). Unlike synthetic pesticides, microbial pesticides are specific in action, can be easily sourced without the need for expensive chemicals, and are environmentally sustainable without residual effects. Phytopesticides have myriad of phytochemical compounds that make them exhibit various mechanisms of action, likewise, they are not associated with the release of greenhouse gases and are of lesser risks to human health compared to the available synthetic pesticides. Nanobiopesticides have higher pesticidal activity, targeted or controlled release with top-notch biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this review, we examined the different types of pesticides, the merits, and demerits of synthetic pesticides and biopesticides, but more importantly, we x-rayed appropriate and sustainable approaches to improve the acceptability and commercial usage of microbial pesticides, phytopesticides, and nanobiopesticides for plant nutrition, crop protection/yield, animal/human health promotion, and their possible incorporation into the integrated pest management system.

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