Fungal resources: Current utilization, future prospects, and challenges

Abstract Fungi exist in macroscopic as well as microscopic lifeforms and undertake a wide array of biochemical activities that are the highest among microscopic organisms. Their significance on Earth is highlighted by their omnipresent nature. At the current time, fungi are exploited potentially for applications in the industrial, therapeutic, agricultural, and environmental fields. Fungi produce many chemically diverse secondary metabolites, hydrolytic enzymes, and proteins. It is extremely essential that the recent research be compiled at regular intervals for a consolidated update on all the new revelations. Fungal biomolecules are therefore nowadays an important tool anticipated to accelerate current research regarding the diverse roles of fungal metabolites. Fungi play an important role in plant growth promotion and disease management (e.g., biocontrol agents) as well as biofertilizers. Fungal enzymes are exploited to clean up textile industry waste, sludge, and industrial waste. A greater understanding of these fungi and their products is strongly required to exploit fungi for agriculture, human health, and pharmaceuticals from an applied perspective.