Bacillus secondary metabolites and their applications in agriculture

Bacteria are the most common organisms, and one example is Bacillus sp., a gram-positive organism with biosynthetic potential. Members of this species produce versatile, advantageous secondary metabolites, inferring their applications in plant nutrition and antimicrobial activities against myriad plant pathogens. Such secondary metabolites include polypeptides, lipopeptides, macrolactones, fatty acids, polyketides, isocoumarins, and others. The striking differences in the structural composition of the above-mentioned compounds have garnered the attention of chemists worldwide. Also, the biological activities of these compounds have encouraged the agriculture and medicine fraternities to pursue the consequential structures in the microbial extracts. The extracts from microbes exhibit strong biological activities, which include antiviral, antimicrobial, and other antitumor activities that allow the bacterium to thrive in its natural niche. Nonetheless, there exists a dearth of knowledge concerning the secondary metabolites of Bacillus spp., particularly Bacillus thuringiensis, in biological control systems and other aspects of medicine and agriculture.