Harnessing natural farming practices for ecofriendly and sustainable plant disease management

The rising demand for food grains has triggered a surge in pesticide use in agriculture. Although, pesticides have significantly boosted food grain production, they have also caused negative effects to the environment, human health and the balance of ecosystems. Natural Farming (NF) practices offer an eco-friendly alternative, improving plant health by enhancing beneficial soil microbial diversity, activating plant defence pathways and suppressing disease-causing pathogens. This predicament underscores the urgent need for alternative farming practices that can manage diseases while fostering sustainable agro-ecosystems. This review aims to synthesize current evidence on the mechanisms by which NF practices contribute to plant disease management, addressing the limited mechanistic understanding and the scarcity of field-level validation, thereby supporting the development of sustainable agricultural strategies. We systematically searched scientific literature in Web of Science, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate using some keywords such as “Natural Farming,” “disease management,” “soil microbiome” and “sustainable agriculture”. Studies were included if they examined NF practices and their effects on plant health, disease suppression or related sustainability outcomes. Additional records were identified from the reference lists of relevant review and research articles. In total, 179 studies were reviewed, encompassing field experiments, laboratory trials and case studies across diverse agro ecological contexts. NF stands out as an agro-ecological approach that operates in harmony with nature. NF incorporates various components, such as microbial formulations (jeevamrit, beejamrit), mixed cropping, grass mulching (Achhadana), waaphasa (moisture management) and on- farm made fungicides, such as sounthaster and buttermilk. These practices enhance disease resistance through multiple mechanisms, including increased beneficial soil microbial biodiversity, the production of metabolites (antioxidants, allelo-chemicals, enzymes, siderophores, volatile organic compounds), the activation of defence-related genes, induced resistance, competition for resources, root interactions, physical barriers to pathogen spread, reduced host density, the suppression of alternate or collateral hosts and the modification of the microenvironment to be unfavourable for pathogens. Thus, NF offers a promising strategy for disease management without compromising food grain production. This review synthesizes current research, highlights mechanistic insights and identifies key gaps, particularly the limited field-level validation to guide future studies and practical applications.