Global Agriculture Research Articles

Design and synthesis aldehydes-thiourea and thiazolyl hydrazine derivatives as promising antifungal agents against Monilinia fructicola.

Fungal diseases present a significant threat to global agriculture, necessitating the development of new, safe, and effective fungicides. Existing fungicides face resistance and health risks, prompting the synthesis of novel compounds. Researchers have synthesized aldehyde-based thiourea and thiazolyl hydrazine derivatives, evaluating their antifungal activities to identify impactful pesticide molecules. The results showed that most of the compounds had broad-spectrum antifungal activity against six plant pathogenic fungi and four post-harvest fungi. Notably, compound LN18 showed the best antifungal activity against Monilinia fructicola with a half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) of 0.17 μg mL-1, which was better than the commercial fungicide natamycin. A structure-activity relationship (SAR) study showed that the presence of unsaturated double bonds in the structure and the length of the carbon chain were the main factors affecting antifungal activity. The presence of unsaturated double bonds and an increase in the length of the carbon chain greatly improved inhibitory activity against the tested pathogens. The preliminary mechanism study showed that LN18 could damage the integrity of the mycelial plasma membrane, leading to leakage of intracellular nucleic acid and protein. LN18 also induced an increase in the intracellular reactive oxygen species level to exert its antifungal effects. In addition, compound LN18 had a stronger antifungal effect in vivo, and better phytotoxicity than natamycin, indicating broad application prospects in agriculture. Aldehydes-thiourea and thiazolyl hydrazine derivatives demonstrate remarkable antifungal efficacy against plant pathogenic and post-harvest fungi, offering a promising avenue for commercialization as highly efficacious, cost-effective and safe antifungal agents. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Air cold plasmas as a new tool for nitrogen fixation in agriculture: underlying mechanisms and current experimental insights

Nitrogen fixation is crucial for plant growth and global agriculture, especially with the projected population growth requiring a significant increase in food production. Traditional nitrogen fixation relies on the Haber-Bosch (H-B) process, which is energy-intensive and environmentally harmful due to greenhouse gas emissions. Emerging technologies, such as cold plasma, offer promising alternatives with lower energy consumption. Cold plasma facilitates reactive nitrogen species generation under ambient conditions, potentially improving the production efficiency of nitrogen oxides (NOx). However, optimizing cold plasma nitrogen fixation requires a synergy between experimental and theoretical approaches. Accurate input data are essential for refining theoretical models, which can then guide the design of more efficient processes. This integrated approach can leverage renewable energy, operate on smaller scales, and minimize environmental impacts, making cold plasma a sustainable solution for future nitrogen fixation needs.

Urgency of Implementing Indonesian Halal Certification in International Trade (Case Study of Chicken Meat Imports from Brazil)

Discussions regarding the halal industry have been very prominent in recent years. Therefore, many issues related to the halal industry are written about and used as research objects. Halal products must have certain specifications so they can play in the halal market. These specifications require certain qualifications that are closely related to halal standards. This research aims to explain the urgency of implementing halal certification in Indonesia in international trade (case study of chicken meat imports from Brazil). The first research result is that as a global food organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has the idea of halal products. Nevertheless, FAO's main focus is currently limited to food products. FAO has not fully protected regulations relating to the guarantee of halal products for countries around the world. FAO provides ratification to each country regarding halal product regulatory policies. The only FAO requirement is that the exporting country must receive halal certification to demonstrate that the product is halal, although this can still be requested by the importing country. The second is that Indonesia has stipulated that although not all products in circulation must have halal certification, some must. Article 135 PP No. 39 of 2021 and Article 125 PP No. 39 of 2021.

Residual Effect of Microbial-Inoculated Biochar with Nitrogen on Rice Growth and Salinity Reduction in Paddy Soil.

Increasing soil and water salinity threatens global agriculture, particularly affecting rice. This study investigated the residual effects of microbial biochar and nitrogen fertilizer in mitigating salt stress in paddy soil and regulating the biochemical characteristics of rice plants. Two rice varieties, Shuang Liang You 138 (SLY138), a salt-tolerant, and Jing Liang You 534 (JLY534), a salt-sensitive, were grown under 0.4 ds/m EC (S0) and 6.84 ds/m EC (S1) in a glass house under controlled conditions. Three types of biochar-rice straw biochar (BC), fungal biochar (BF), and bacterial biochar (BB)-were applied alongside two nitrogen (N) fertilizer rates (60 kg ha-1 and 120 kg ha-1) in a previous study. The required salinity levels were maintained in respective pots through the application of saline irrigation water. Results showed that residual effects of microbial biochars (BF and BB) had higher salt mitigation efficiency than sole BC. The combination of BB and N fertilizer (BB + N120) significantly decreased soil pH by 23.45% and Na+ levels by 46.85%, creating a more conducive environment for rice growth by enhancing beneficial microbial abundance and decreasing pathogenic fungi in saline soil. Microbial biochars (BF and BB) positively improved soil properties (physicochemical) and biochemical and physiological properties of plants, ultimately rice growth. SLY138 significantly had a less severe response to salt stress compared to JLY534. The mitigation effects of BB + N120 kg ha-1 were particularly favorable for SLY138. In summary, the combined residual effect of BF and BB with N120 kg ha-1, especially bacterial biochar (BB), played a positive role in alleviating salt stress on rice growth, suggesting its potential utility for enhancing rice yield in paddy fields.

Spatiotemporal distribution of global wind erosion over the past four decades

Abstract Wind erosion is a critical environmental issue that degrades land and air quality, affecting global ecosystems, agriculture, and human health. Yet, on the global scale, the long-term spatial variability and controlling factors of wind erosion remain highly uncertain. Here, we develop a high-resolution spatiotemporal dataset of global wind erosion from 1980 to 2020 using the Revised Wind Erosion Equation model, integrated with comprehensive meteorological, terrestrial ecology, and soil datasets. Our analysis indicates that wind erosion annually impacted 359 ± 25 petagrams of soils worldwide during this period. Approximately 70% of this erosion occurred in just ten countries, predominantly in Africa and the Middle East. Due to higher erosion intensities, pasturelands, accounting for 28% of all non-barren land use types, disproportionately contributed to 70% of the erosion in these areas. Furthermore, our analysis highlights an upward trend in global wind erosion over the past four decades, with affected areas expanding worldwide. Although our study reinforces that changing wind speeds and a drier climate are central factors impacting global wind erosion, we find that increasing erosion intensities in pasturelands may also exacerbate erosion in North Africa, South America, and East Asia. This has broad implications for soil erosion issues that impact food productivity, human health, and ecosystem stability. This research provides insights for developing wind erosion warnings and targeted mitigation strategies, supporting global efforts to combat environmental degradation and promote sustainable development.

Water and nutrient availability modulate the salinity stress response in Olea europaea cv. Arbequina

Salinity stress represents a key factor for global agriculture. Plants can respond to salinity stress by adapting their physiology in different ways with the aim of limiting reductions in growth and development. Importantly, moisture retention capacity, permeability and nutrient availability of substrates represent critical variables for plants as they may further influence the effect of osmotic stress. Here, a multidisciplinary approach was applied to evaluate the role of two different substrates, peat and perlite, on 2-year-old potted cuttings of Olea europaea (cultivar Arbequina) under different salinity stress conditions (0, 100 and 200 mM NaCl). Biometric and physiological data indicate that plants potted in perlite (AP) generally present lower growth and photosynthetic rates when compared with peat (AS) in combination with salinity stress. Ion measurements indicate a rise in Na+ accumulation with increasing stress severity, which alters the ion ratio in both substrates. In addition, differences occurred in polyphenol contents, with a general increase in quinic acid and rutin contents in AS and AP samples, respectively. Metabolomic and biometric data were also coupled with metabarcoding analysis, which indicates that the moderate salinity treatment (100 mM NaCl, T100) reshaped the endophytic community of plants grown on both substrates. Taken together, the data suggest that the strategy used by a glycophytic species such as the olive tree to cope with salinity stress seems to be highly related to availability of water and nutrients. The lack of both may be simulated by perlite, enhancing the effect of salinity stress response in woody plants. Lastly, applying the beneficial endophytic bacterial taxa identified here could represent a step forward in increasing plant defence and nutrient uptake and reducing inputs for modern and more sustainable agriculture.

Intra species dissection of phytophthora capsici resistance in black pepper

IntroductionBlack pepper, a financially significant tropical crop, assumes a pivotal role in global agriculture for the major source of specie flavor. Nonetheless, the growth and productivity of black pepper face severe impediments due to the destructive pathogen Phytophthora capsici, ultimately resulting in black pepper blight. The dissecting for the genetic source of pathogen resistance for black pepper is beneficial for its global production. The genetic sources include the variations on gene coding sequences, transcription capabilities and epigenetic modifications, which exerts hierarchy of influences on plant defense against pathogen. However, the understanding of genetic source of disease resistance in black pepper remains limited. MethodsThe wild species Piper flaviflorum (P. flaviflorum, Pf) is known for blight resistance, while the cultivated species P. nigrum is susceptible. To dissecting the genetic sources of pathogen resistance for black pepper, the chromatin modification on H3K4me3 and transcriptome of black pepper species were profiled for genome wide comparative studies, applied with CUT&Tag and RNA sequencing technologies. ResultsThe intraspecies difference between P. flaviflorum and P. nigrum on gene body region led to coding variations on 5137 genes, including 359 gene with biotic stress responses and regulation. P. flaviflorum exhibited a more comprehensive resistance response to Phytophthora capsica in terms of transcriptome features. The pathogen responsive transcribing was significant associated with histone modification mark of H3K4me3 in black pepper. The collective data on variations of sequence, transcription activity and chromatin structure lead to an exclusive jasmonic acid-responsive pathway for disease resistance in P. flaviflorum was revealed. This research provides a comprehensive frame work to identify the fine genetic source for pathogen resistance from wild species of black pepper.

Seeking sustainable efficient global agricultural production with nexus approach

This study aims to estimate the shadow prices of water and carbon dioxide (CO2) in global agriculture under three scenarios: pursuing economic efficiency, sustainable development goals (SDGs), and environmental protection. It assesses the social cost of environmental impacts compared to actual prices. This study also evaluates substitutability among water, labor, and capital in the three scenarios for developing relevant agricultural policies depending on distinct agricultural conditions. Social costs tend to be underestimated because they are not directly observed. Our society has faced an overproduction of agriculture in terms of CO2 emissions and the exploitation of water. This study employs a method of a directional technology distance function for global agricultural production based on Food and Agriculture Organization data on agricultural inputs and outputs. The following three critical findings were obtained: First, the average shadow price of water under the economic scenario was close to the current actual water prices, and water prices would increase if agricultural production accomplished the three SDGs (Goal 2, 6, and 13). Second, labor is substituted for water under the environmental scenario because water prices increase rapidly. In contrast, water is complementary to labor under the SDGs scenario, implying that labor becomes more important for increasing food production. Third, the current CO2 prices are lower than those in the economic scenario. These values are significantly lower than those under the SDGs and environmental scenarios. Based on these results, we conclude that agricultural products are often undervalued because the appropriate value of water is overlooked in real markets. The contribution to reducing CO2 in agriculture is insufficient, owing to current low carbon taxes.

Symbiont community assembly shaped by insecticide exposure and feedback on insecticide resistance of Spodoptera frugiperda

Exploring the mechanism of microbiota assembly and its ecological consequences is crucial for connecting microbiome variation to ecosystem function. However, the influencing factors underlying microbiota assembly in the host-microbe system and their impact on the host phenotype remain unclear. Through investigating the prevalent and worsening ecological phenomenon of insecticide resistance in global agriculture, we found that insecticide exposure significantly changed the gut microbiota assembly patterns of a major agricultural invasive insect pest, Spodoptera frugiperda. The relative importance of various microbiota assembly processes significantly varied with habitat heterogeneity and heterogeneous selection serving as a potential predictor of the host’s insecticide resistance in field populations. Moreover, disturbance of the gut microbiota assembly through antibiotics was revealed to significantly affect the rate and heritability of insecticide resistance evolution, leading to a delay in insecticide resistance evolution in this insect pest. These findings indicate that the gut microbiota assembly process of the insect host is influenced by persistent exposure to habitat conditions, particularly insecticides. This variation in insecticide exposure-related community assembly process subsequently influences the insect host’s insecticide resistance phenotype. This study provides insights into gut microbiota assembly processes from a symbiotic perspective and underscores the significant impact of symbiotic community changes on host phenotypic variation.

A review on seed priming to combat climate variability in agriculture

Global agriculture faces immense challenges due to climate change, which causes unpredictable weather patterns, decreased agricultural productivity, and decreased food security. Seed priming is critical in combating climate variability because it has emerged as a promising method for improving seed germination and agricultural resilience. This review evaluates the efficiency of several seed priming techniques, including hydro-priming, halo-priming, osmo-priming, bio-priming, chemical priming, and hormone priming. These techniques improve seedling vigor, stress tolerance, and overall crop yield. Seed priming increases germination rates and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, such as salinity and drought, while improving agricultural output and disease resistance. Seed priming reduces the demand for chemical pesticides and fertilizers by increasing soil quality and nutrient absorption, which supports sustainable agriculture. This review highlights the potential benefits of seed priming as a practical, affordable, and practical strategy to reduce the negative effects of climatic variability on agriculture. Future studies should focus on developing the best priming techniques for diverse crop varieties and conditions, as well as examining the combined impacts of various priming strategies. Seed priming will be crucial to preserving food security and agricultural sustainability in the face of ongoing climate change.

Connectedness of global energy markets with global agricultural, natural resources, and socially responsible investments using extended GFI

PurposeThe study aims to investigate the risk transmission from COVID-19 to global agriculture, energy, natural resources/mining and environmentally/socially responsible investments. Additionally, it explores the connectedness of global energy indices with global agriculture, natural resources/mining and environmentally/socially responsible investments. The study develops a new COVID-19-based Global Fear Index (GFI) to achieve the objectives, thus contributing to the prevailing literature.Design/methodology/approachThe data of Global indices are selected from January 2020 to December 2021. The study uses multivariate BEKK-GARCH and TVP-VAR models to explore COVID-19 risk transmission and connectedness between global indices.FindingsSignificant shock and volatility transmissions from COVID-19 to all global indices are observed. Results show that global agriculture, natural resource/mining markets and environmentally and socially responsible investments are safe havens during COVID-19. Furthermore, these global investment choices are barely connected with global energy indices.Practical implicationsPortfolio managers and investors should invest in global indices to gauge the risk-adjusted return during the pandemic and upcoming health-related risks. Investors in energy sectors are advised to diversify the risk by adding safe-haven assets to their portfolios.Social implicationsThe findings shed light on the importance of environmentally and socially responsible investments as a separate asset class where ecologically friendly and socially sentimental investors could invest in diversifying the risk of their portfolios.Originality/valueThe paper offers valuable insights to policymakers and investors regarding asset pricing, risk management and financial market stability during pandemic-type emergencies.

Spatiotemporal Evolution and Impact Mechanisms of Areca Palm Plantations in China (1987–2022)

This study delved into the spatiotemporal evolution and impact mechanisms of areca palm (Areca catechu L.) plantations in China. Using Landsat and Google Earth imagery combined with machine learning, the geographical distribution of areca palm was mapped at a 30 m resolution from 1987 to 2022, achieving an overall classification accuracy of 0.67 in 2022. The plantation area rapidly expanded from 8064 hectares in 1987 to 193,328 hectares in 2022. Spatially, there was a pronounced trend of overall agglomeration in areca palm plantations, primarily displaying two distribution patterns: high-value aggregation and low-value aggregation. Moreover, the plantation area exhibited a significant positive correlation with both GDP (r = 0.98, p < 0.001) and total population (r = 0.92, p < 0.01), while negatively correlating with rural population (r = −0.76, p < 0.05). No significant correlation was observed with environmental factors. This study elucidated the patterns and trends concerning economic development across regions and the impact of monoculture on Hainan Island’s ecological environment. Comprehensive, large-scale, long-term mapping of areca palms will enhance our understanding of global agriculture’s sustainability challenges and inform policy development.

Antibiotic-resistant mutants of lactic acid bacteria: potential food control agents

Background: One of the most pressing challenges facing global agriculture today is the restoration of degraded farmland. Organic fertilisers are increasingly being used as a safer alternative to synthetic forms. The most promising form of environmentally friendly fertiliser is a bioconsortium based on different groups of microorganisms. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with high antifungal activity, isolated from Armenian dairy products, can form part of such a bioconsortium and protect plants from phytopathogens. In addition, LAB can be used as a preservative in the food industry due to its GRAS (generally recognised as safe) status. Objective: To obtain antibiotic-resistant pleiotropic lactic acid bacterial mutants with higher antifungal activity and broad-spectrum activity compared to natural strains. Methods: The objects of the study were LAB, whose antifungal activity was studied against phytopathogenic fungi of the genera Penicillium, Aspergillus, Alternaria and Fusarium, which cause crop/food spoilage. To increase antifungal activity, spontaneous pleiotropic mutants resistant to the streptomycin, kanamycin or rifampicin were obtained on the basis of original strains. Results: Among all the LAB tested, Lactobacillus bovis MDC 1061, L. paracasei MDC 10898 and L. buchneri BKM 1599 were selected for their antifungal activity. Based on the latter, 78 antibiotic-resistant mutants with different levels of antifungal activity were obtained. L. bovis MDC 1061 STR-25 and L. buchneri BKM 1599 RIF-7 mutants with up to 98% and 95% inhibition of fungal growth, respectively, were selected as potential food control agents. Conclusion: Antibiotic-resistant mutants L. bovis MDC 1061 STR-25 and L. buchneri BKM 1599 RIF-7 with high antifungal ability and a wide range of its effects were obtained. For the first time, the phenomenon of pleiotropic effect has been used in LAB to improve antifungal activity. After extensive study, these mutants can be used as promising components for creating an effective bioconsortium, as well as a preservative in food production, especially in the case of plant-based functional foods to protect against contamination by fungi. Keywords: lactic acid bacteria, pleiotropic mutants, antifungal activity

Study of urease activity in semi-finished meat products

Meat production is one of the fastest growing sectors of global agriculture, and poultry meat is the most accessible and expanding source of protein for people of all income levels. In connection with recent world events, such as the coronavirus pandemic, and considering its consequences, the issue of safety of "accessible" foodstuffs, among which poultry meat occupies a worthy place, is acute. For Kazakhstan, as well as for all countries, it is important to expand the range of food products that can significantly increase the immunity of the population to successfully overcome the consequences of the COVID 19 pandemic. Development of local poultry farming and import substitution are the main solutions to ensure product safety in any state. For effective development of poultry farming it is necessary to overcome one of the limiting factors - lack of modern system of safety monitoring throughout the food chain. The purpose of this work is to study the urease activity in meat semi-finished products. In this study urease activity was measured in raw and cooked meat products. As a result of the study the dependence of heat treatment with the pH index was determined. The indicator of urease activity during production allows for more detailed safety and quality assurance of meat semi-finished products.

Optimizing Resilience in Agricultural Supply Chains under Blockchain

In the ever-evolving landscape of global agriculture, ensuring the resilience of supply chains has become a critical concern. The integration of blockchain technology offers a transformative solution to this challenge, promising enhanced transparency, traceability, and efficiency. This paper delves into the potential of blockchain to optimize the resilience of agricultural supply chains, exploring how its decentralized ledger can mitigate risks and streamline operations.

Globalization of wild capture and farmed aquatic foods

Aquatic foods are highly traded, with nearly 60 million tonnes exported in 2020, representing 11% of global agriculture trade by value. Despite the vast scale, basic characteristics of aquatic food trade, including species, origin, and farmed vs wild sourcing, are largely unknown due to the reporting of trade data. Consequently, we have a coarse picture of aquatic food trade and consumption patterns. Here, we present results from a database on species trade that aligns production, conversion factors, and trade to compute apparent consumption for all farmed and wild aquatic foods from 1996 to 2020. Over this period, aquatic foods became increasingly globalized, with the share of production exported increasing by 40%. Importantly, trends differ across aquatic food sectors. Global consumption also increased by 19.4% despite declining marine capture consumption, and some regions became increasingly reliant on foreign-sourced aquatic foods. To identify sustainable diet opportunities among aquatic foods, our findings, and underlying database enable a greater understanding of the role of trade in rapidly evolving aquatic food systems.

Embracing Nature's Clockwork: Crafting Plastics for Degradation in Plant Agricultural Systems.

In the 21st century, global agriculture confronts the urgent challenge of increasing food production by 70% by 2050 while simultaneously addressing environmental and health concerns. Plastics, integral to agricultural innovation, present sustainability challenges due to their non-biodegradable nature and contribution to pollution. This perspective examines the transition to bioplastics, emphasizing their bio-based origin and their crucial characteristic of being readily biodegradable in the soil. Key bioplastics such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), and biomass-derived polymers are discussed, particularly regarding the microplastic generation in soil resulting from their use in specific applications like mulch films, delivery systems, and soil conditioners. Embracing bioplastics signifies a significant step forward in achieving sustainable agriculture and addressing plastic waste. However, it is highlighted that while some bioplastics can be recovered and recycled, special applications where the plastic is in intimate contact with soil pose challenges for recovery. In these cases, that represent more than the 50% of plastics used in agriculture, meticulous design for biodegradation in soil synchronized with agricultural cycles is necessary. This approach ensures minimal environmental impact and promotes a circular approach to plastic use in agriculture.

Fermentation broth of a novel endophytic fungus enhanced maize salt tolerance by regulating sugar metabolism and phytohormone biosynthesis or signaling

Soil salinization is a major environmental factor that severely affects global agriculture. Root endophytes can enter root cells, and offer various ecological benefits, such as promoting plant growth, improving soil conditions, and enhancing plant resistance. Su100 is a novel strain of endophytic fungus that was characterized from blueberry roots. In this study, we focused on evaluating the effects of Su100 secretion on maize growth. The results demonstrated that maize treated with Su100 fermentation broth (SFB) exhibited significantly stronger salt tolerance than the control. It is worth mentioning that the treated root system not only had an advantage in terms of biomass but also a change in root structure with a significant increase in lateral roots (LRs) compared to the control. Transcriptome analysis combined with hormone content measurements indicated that SFB upregulated the auxin signaling pathway, and also caused alterations in brassinosteroids (BR) and jasmonic acid (JA) biosynthesis and signaling pathways. Transcriptome analyses also indicated that SFB caused significant changes in the sugar metabolism of maize roots. The major changes included: enhancing the conversion and utilization of sucrose in roots; increasing carbon flow to uridine diphosphate glucose (UDPG), which acted as a precursor for producing more cell wall polysaccharides, mainly pectin and lignin; accelerating the tricarboxylic acid cycle, which were further supported by sugar content determinations. Taken together, our results indicated that the enhanced salt tolerance of maize treated with SFB was due to the modulation of sugar metabolism and phytohormone biosynthesis or signaling pathways. This study provided new insights into the mechanisms of action of endophytic fungi and highlighted the potential application of fungal preparations in agriculture.

Effect of different sources of organic manures on growth and yield of Broccoli

Indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers is a common practice that is hazardous both for soil health and the environment. It has been more than three decades that global agriculture has been depicted towards organic agriculture owing to sustainability and reduced environmental effects. An experiment was conducted in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications to study the effect of different sources of organic nutrients on growth and yield of broccoli. The experiment consisted of five different sources of manures; control (no manure), cowdung (25 t/ha), Trichoderma compost (10 t/ha), vermicompost (12 t/ha) and poultry litter (14 t/ha) along with two cultivars of broccoli; ‘Imperial’ and ‘Premium Crop’. Different sources of manures and cultivars had significant influence on plant height, height up to curd, number of leaves per plant, length of leaf, breadth of leaf, plant canopy, diameter of curd, diameter of stem, weight of primary curd, number of secondary curds, weight of secondary curd, yield per plant, yield per unit plot and yield per hectare. The maximum yield (17.32 t/ha) was obtained from vermicompost, followed by poultry litter in ‘Premium Crop’ (15.68 t/ha) cultivar. The minimum yield (6.62 t/ha) was recorded by no manure in ‘Imperial’. Control treatment showed the lowest values for all the parameters studied. Combination of vermicompost and ‘Premium Crop’ cultivar was found the best among all other treatment combinations, including in respect of net return (Tk. 234099/ha) and BCR (3.08). Res. Agric. Livest. Fish. Vol. 11, No. 2, August 2024: 197-204

Pesticide Use, Regulation, and Policies in Indian Agriculture

This research paper presents a comprehensive analysis of pesticide use in global and Indian agriculture, focusing on the mounting food security challenges due to population growth and the increased demand for food and fiber crops. While pesticides are crucial in mitigating losses due to pests, diseases, and weeds, increasing apprehension regarding their adverse effects on human and environment health necessitates a critical examination of their usage patterns. Despite India’s relatively low per-hectare pesticide usage of 0.4 kg compared to China’s 1.83 kg, issues with pesticide residue contamination in the food chain require urgent attention. Additionally, significant regional disparities in pesticide application highlight the need for more uniform and sustainable agricultural practices. Therefore, this study examines the evolving trends in global and Indian pesticide application, providing a comprehensive analysis of the shifting dynamics across various Indian states and crop varieties. Furthermore, it analyzes various pesticide categories and their respective market shares, providing insights into production and export patterns. Our research also explores regulatory frameworks aimed at optimizing pesticide use while minimizing detrimental effects on human health and the environment.