Recent Advances in Sulfur-Based Pesticides: Fungicidal, Antiviral, Insecticidal, and Herbicidal Applications

Sulfur plays a crucial role in agricultural chemistry, not only as an essential plant nutrient, but also as a key structural element in pesticide design. This review summarizes the development and application of sulfur-containing pesticides as fungicides, antiviral agents, insecticides, and herbicides, with particular emphasis on their structural characteristics and mechanisms of action. In fungicides, sulfides can interfere with fungal energy metabolism and exhibit broadspectrum fungicidal activity. In antiviral agents, some sulfur-containing functional groups, such as dithioacetals and thioureas, can exert antiviral effects by blocking viral assembly. In insecticides and acaricides, sulfur-containing compounds primarily act on pests' nervous systems, offering significant efficacy and environmental friendliness. In herbicides, sulfur-containing compounds, including sulfonylureas and thiazoles, enable selective weed control by inhibiting acetolactate synthase in weeds. Owing to their distinctive biological activities, sulfur-containing scaffolds provide an important foundation for the development of new pesticides.