Bioactive Molecules Derived from Extremophilic Fungi and Their Agro-Biotechnological Application

In recent years, natural products have gained attention to fill the gap in diverse fields like agricultural development, industries and drug discovery, due to their structure versatility and potential biological activity. Extremophilic fungi are an outstanding source of novel bioactive molecules which have unique structures and functions due to their extreme environment and microbial flora. In this chapter, we have highlighted the various bioactive molecules, namely, polyketides, polypeptides, meroterpenes, terpenoids, peptaibiotics, anthraquinone and so on, produced by extremophilic fungi which inhabited marine, terrestrial and permafrost environments. These bioactive molecules showed widespread applications in agriculture and industries like plant growth enhancement, pest management, soil amendment, bioremediation, metal and hydrocarbon degradation, antimicrobial activity, pigment production food and beverage and so on. These diverse activities of fungal-derived bioactive molecules make them an attractive alternative for further research and demand further exploration of extreme environments for the discovery of more useful fungal-derived molecules.