Next-generation Myco-Agri solutions: Harnessing fungi for climate-resilient agriculture

The escalating challenges of climate change necessitate innovative agricultural strategies that enhance crop resilience while maintaining sustainable productivity. Fungal biotechnology emerges as a transformative solution, offering multifaceted approaches to agricultural sustainability through mycorrhizal associations, biocontrol mechanisms, and novel biomaterial applications. This comprehensive review synthesizes current advances in myco-agricultural technologies, examining their roles in enhancing drought tolerance, nutrient acquisition, pathogen resistance, and soil carbon sequestration. We analyze emerging applications including fungal-based biofertilizers, mycopesticides, and innovative cultivation systems that demonstrate 20-40% improvements in crop yields under stress conditions. Through systematic evaluation of field trials, molecular mechanisms, and economic feasibility, we present a framework for integrating fungal solutions into climate-smart agriculture. Our results explain that a single inoculation of mycorrhizal fungi could lead to 30-50% cost reduction associated with the use of fertilizer, and can also enhance water productivity by up to 25%. These results highlight the importance of fungal biotechnology in design resilience agriculture systems to cope with global food security challenges during an age of environmental unpredictability.