Biogenic Amino Acids Facilitate the Management of Plant Health and Stress Tolerance for a Modern Sustainable Approach

Abstract

Accurate fertilization is of paramount importance in modern agriculture for maintaining the expected productivity. Continuous application of urea fertilizer to meet the nitrogen (N) requirement of plants causes detrimental effects; alternatively, shifting to eco-friendly biogenic hydrolysate (BH) rich in plant biostimulants is crucial. While many studies have sought to extract and characterize BHs rich in amino acids (AAs) in agriculture, systematic reviews on animal-based BHs and their effect on plant health and defense are relatively rare. This Review presents a comprehensive analysis that (1) identifies the importance of animal-based enriched BHs to plant growth, immunity development, and stress control; (2) presents the modulation of mechanisms inside plants; and (3) discusses recent case studies, successful applications, regulations, and potential future outcomes. This work paves the way for the identification of a pioneering sustainable approach for boosting crop productivity and resilience, opening the gate for a paradigm change in agriculture.