Agriculture today faces the dual challenge of ensuring sufficient food production for a growing population while preserving the environment. The intensification of agricultural production in the twentieth century, based on artificial fertilizers and agrochemicals, has significantly increased yields, but has also caused a number of environmental problems: soil degradation, water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and loss of biodiversity (Sharma et al. in Discov. Sustain. 5(1):1–14, 2024 [1]). In the face of these threats, the concept of sustainable agriculture has gained crucial importance—it is considered the foundation for ensuring food security and improving the quality of life of societies (Polcyn et al. in Sustainability 15(23):16415, 2023 [2]). Sustainable agriculture seeks to manage production in a way that increases yields in an environmentally friendly manner, reduces ecosystem degradation, and conserves resources for future generations (Chen et al. in J. Clean. Prod. 17, 142606, 2024 [3]). Achieving these goals, however, requires innovative solutions, including alternative fertilizers and soil improvers that maintain or increase soil fertility and yields with less chemical pressure on the environment (Panwar et al. in SN Appl. Sci. 1(2):1–19, 2019 [4]).