Promising applications on the use of medicinal and aromatic plants in agriculture
Eduardo Hernández-Bolaños, Violeta Sánchez-Retuerta, Luis Matías-Hernández, Laura Cuyas
Abstract
By 2050, the global population is projected to reach 9.7 billion, necessitating a 70% increase in food production. This challenge is further complicated by factors such as plant pests, limited farmland, climate change, and the growing demand for greener practices from both consumers and legislation. Production must be increased while simultaneously ensuring environmental sustainability and consumer safety. To address these challenges, sustainable farming methods are becoming more important, leading to the development of natural solutions like biofertilizers, biostimulants, and biopesticides. Medicinal and aromatic plants are playing a key role in this effort because they are rich in valuable compounds such as alkaloids, essential oils, glycosides, polyphenols, quinones, steroids, or terpenoids, which have been shown to enhance plant growth or resilience, among others. These extracts are being explored for their potential to create eco-friendly agricultural products. This review aims to bring together key research on the use of plant extracts of medicinal and aromatic plants in improving agriculture, offering an overview of the current situation.