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Plants are subjected to multifaceted stresses that significantly jeopardize crop production. Pathogenic microbes influence biotic stress in plants, which ultimately causes annual crop loss worldwide. Although the use of pesticides and fungicides can curb the proliferation of pathogens in plants and enhance crop production, they pollute the environment and cause several health issues in humans and animals. Hence, there is a need for alternative biocontrol agents that offer an eco-friendly mode of controlling plant diseases. This review discusses fungal- and bacterial-induced stress in plants, which causes various plant diseases, and the role of biocontrol defense mechanisms, for example, the production of hydrolytic enzymes, secondary metabolites, and siderophores by stress-tolerant fungi and bacteria to combat plant pathogens. It is observed that beneficial endophytes could sustain crop production and resolve the issues regarding crop yield caused by bacterial and fungal pathogens. The collated literature review indicates that future research is necessary to identify potential biocontrol agents that can minimize the utility of synthetic pesticides and increase the tenable agricultural production.

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Domestic and municipal solid wastes pose environmental concerns and health risks, suggesting the importance of reduced waste disposal. Food waste accounts for the highest percentage of solid waste in Brunei. An effective strategy is to convert food waste into beneficial products such as enzymes and biofertilizers. This study reports utilization of inedible fruit peels as substrates for enzyme production. A fermentation medium prepared by adding fruit peels, brown sugar and water was allowed to ferment over a period of time. Total carbohydrate content was found to be highest in the fermented orange sample (37.87 ± 4.7 mg/mL) followed by pineapple and banana samples, 11.98 ± 1.45 mg/mL and 10.60 ± 0.45 mg/mL, respectively. Pineapple sample showed the highest concentration of reducing sugar (11.93 mg/mL at week 2 and 3.31 mg/mL after 3 months). Enzyme assay showed that citrus fruits like oranges, yield high activities of enzymes like protease (0.129 U/mL), α-amylase (7.261 ± 0.83 U/mL) and cellulase (0.514 ± 0.03 U/mL). This fermentation product of kitchen waste is economical as it uses cheap raw materials, free of chemical additives and hence eco-friendly.

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