Plant-derived peptides: From identification to agronomic applications

Global agriculture faces critical challenges due to the overreliance on chemical pesticides, driving an urgent need for eco-friendly biopesticides and biostimulants (BioP&S). Plant-derived peptides, evolved as natural regulators of growth, development, and stress adaptation, offer immense potential as biodegradable and biocompatible alternatives. However, their commercialization remains constrained by limited exploration of the diversity and activity, high production costs, incomplete ecological risk evaluations, and undefined application scenarios. This Perspective overviews emerging discoveries and proposes integrated frameworks for plant peptide identification, molecular design, biomanufacturing, and ecological impact assessments integrated with germplasm development and field application systems. To overcome existing bottlenecks, we discuss the integrative potential of emerging technologies that synergistically combine artificial intelligence for high-throughput peptide discovery and de novo structural refinement, nanotechnology for enhancing environmental resilience and targeted delivery, and synthetic biology for developing industrial biomanufacturing platforms. We emphasize the need to align phytopeptide BioP&S with compatible germplasm resources, stage-specific crop requirements, and complementary chemical pesticides to maximize their efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and trait-specific agronomic performance by integrating with precision agriculture systems. Future advancements will rely on interdisciplinary innovations and policy support to unlock their full potential in enhancing crop resilience, productivity, and quality while ensuring ecological sustainability.