Scientists unlock fungi's secret chemistry, offering a greener path to crop protection
by Sanjukta MondalSanjukta Mondal
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Pesky pests can wreak havoc on plants by chewing leaves, boring into stems, and sucking sap from trees. Beyond the direct damage, they also spread harmful bacteria, viruses, and fungi that can infect and ultimately kill the crops. Every year, these destructive invaders are responsible for the loss of nearly 40% of global agricultural production. A friendly group of fungi, the Hypocreales, form symbiotic relations with plants and naturally protect them by antagonizing pests, acting as their personal biocontrol.
In a recent study, researchers used genetic analysis and analytical techniques to investigate the hidden biochemical arsenal of 82 fungal species that belong to the Hypocreales group. They identified over 5,000 groups of genes involved in making natural compounds, and surprisingly, nearly 80% of these blueprints were for chemicals that are completely unknown to science.
The team successfully proposed the biosynthetic pathways for four fungal compounds with promising biocontrol properties.
These findings, published in Nature Chemical Biology, open up exciting new possibilities in biosynthetic chemistry, with the potential to uncover new medicines and eco-friendly biopesticides.
Logging in the chemical library
Modern agriculture relies heavily on synthetic insecticides or pesticides, with annual usage going up to 2.7 million tons. These chemicals are neither benign toward the planet nor its living creatures. Most pesticides are broad-spectrum, so they end up harming not only the nuisance-causing insects but also beneficial species that maintain ecological balance, including pollinators like wild and honey bees.
Certain chemicals, such as neonicotinoids, if they reach water bodies, can disrupt aquatic food chains, affecting fish populations and fishery productivity.
The excessive use of pesticides is fueling a growing long-term challenge: pests are rapidly evolving resistance to these chemicals. This phenomenon can make pests tougher to eliminate, steadily reducing the effectiveness of existing strategies.
Hypocreales fungi that share the space with plants often provide their hosts with protection against harmful pests. While scientists have known for quite some time that these fungi were helpful, they didn't understand how they worked.
In this study, the researchers sequenced the entire genome of 87 fungi strains using a specialized computer program in search of biosynthetic gene clusters, which carry instructions required to produce bioactive compounds.
The researchers also grew the fungi on different agar media that mimicked food sources like potato and corn to observe the chemicals the fungi naturally produce under different conditions. The metabolites produced were then analyzed using advanced mass spectrometers.
The team identified 5,221 biosynthetic gene clusters, with a vast majority of them predicted to produce entirely unknown compounds. Chemical analyses uncovered 104 distinct compounds across the fungal strains, many of which showed potent insecticidal, fungicidal, or pest-killing properties.
For several known substances with antibacterial and pesticidal activity—like pyridones, efrapeptin, and dethiosecoemestrin—the researchers successfully mapped and verified the biosynthetic pathways fungi use to produce them.
The researchers believe that the findings lay the groundwork for future efforts toward sustainable pest control in agriculture. Future studies that develop chemicals inspired by the rich fungal repertoire could help reduce our dependence on harmful synthetic pesticides while also strengthening global food security by minimizing crop losses.
Written for you by our author Sanjukta Mondal, edited by Sadie Harley, and fact-checked and reviewed by Robert Egan—this article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive. If this reporting matters to you, please consider a donation (especially monthly). You'll get an ad-free account as a thank-you.
Publication details
Ana Calheiros de Carvalho et al, A biosynthetic survey of hypocrealean biocontrol fungi, Nature Chemical Biology (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41589-026-02201-5 www.nature.com/articles/s41589-026-02201-5
Journal information: Nature Chemical Biology
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