Obesity is a critical medical condition worldwide that is increasingly involved with nutritional derangements associated with micronutrient deficiencies, including iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, selenium, and vitamins A, C, D, and E. Nutritional deficiencies in obesity are mainly caused by poor-quality diets, higher nutrient requirements, alterations in micronutrient metabolism, and invasive obesity treatments. The current conventional agricultural system is designed for intensive food production, focusing on food quantity rather than food quality, consuming excessive agricultural inputs, and producing nutrient-deficient foods, thus generating severe health and environmental problems; agricultural food products may worsen obesity-related malnutrition. Therefore, modern agriculture is adopting new biofortification technologies to combat micronutrient deficiencies and improve agricultural productivity and sustainability. Biofertilization and nanofertilization practices are increasingly used due to their efficiency, safety, and reduced environmental impact. Biofertilizers are preparations of PGP-microorganisms that promote plant growth by influencing plant metabolism and improving the nutrient uptake, and nanofertilizers consist of synthesized nanoparticles with unique physicochemical properties that are capable of increasing plant nutrition and enriching agricultural products. This review presents the current micronutrient deficiencies associated with obesity, the modern unsustainable agri-food system contributing to obesity progression, and the development of bio- and nanofertilizers capable of biofortifying agri-food crops with micronutrients commonly deficient in patients with obesity.

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Background: Agriculture is a major contributor to environmental and soil degradation. Soil microorganisms are essential to improve plant growth, crop yields and stress-tolerance. Objective: To characterize maize early plant-response in a seedbed setting to native consortia of isolated microorganisms from arid zones. Methods: Sixteen fungal and 16 bacterial isolates from arid soils were identified by MALDI-TOF MS and confirmed using morphological characteristics. Ten biofertilizers were tested in replicates (n=100) in maize under seedbed conditions. Consortia were formulated based on growth promoting traits, including mainly Penicillium and Pseudomonas species. After 45 days, biofertilizers were evaluated according to plant height, and shoot and root fresh weight. Results and Conclusions: Penicillium and Pseudomonas were the predominant genera identified. Most strains are potential candidates for biofertilizer formulation based on their growth promoting traits. Bacterial consortia mainly promoted plant caulinar development, while the combination of fungal and bacterial species markedly increased root development. Eight biofertilizer consortia from arid zones had positive effects at early developmental stage of maize under seedbed conditions compared to uninoculated plants.

Overweight and obesity are two of the world's biggest health problems. They are associated with excessive fat accumulation resulting from an imbalance between energy consumed and energy expended. Conventional therapies for obesity commonly include synthetic drugs and surgical procedures that can lead to serious side effects. Therefore, developing effective, safe, and readily available new treatments to prevent and treat obesity is highly relevant. Many plant extracts have shown anti-obesogenic potential. These plant extracts are composed of different agriceuticals such as fibers, phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, alkaloids, lignans, and proteins that can manage obesity by suppressing appetite, inhibiting digestive enzymes, reducing adipogenesis and lipogenesis, promoting lipolysis and thermogenesis, modulating gut microbiota and suppressing obesity-induced inflammation. These anti-obesogenic agriceuticals can be enhanced in plants during their cultivation by applying sustainable fertilization strategies, improving their capacity to fight the obesity pandemic. Biofertilization and nanofertilization are considered efficient, eco-friendly, and cost-effective strategies to enhance plant growth and development and increase the content of nutrients and bioactive compounds, representing an alternative to overproducing the anti-obesogenic agriceuticals of interest. However, further research is required to study the impact of anti-obesogenic plant species grown using these agricultural practices. This review presents the current scenario of overweight and obesity; recent research work describing different plant species with significant effects against obesity; and several reports exhibiting the potential of the biofertilization and nanofertilization practices to enhance the concentrations of bioactive molecules of anti-obesogenic plant species.

Objetivo: Caracterizar el efecto de un biofertilizante a base de lixiviado vermicomposta (VCL) en cultivos de relevancia en México, formulado en combinación con: i) fertilizante químico (NPK), ii) una mezcla de dos productos comerciales con microorganismos promotores del crecimiento de las plantas y hongos micorrízicos arbusculares (HMA) y iii) melaza. Diseño/metodología/aproximación: Cuatro tratamientos fueron evaluados: T1 (VCL, microorganismos, sin melaza y sin NPK), T2 (VCL, microorganismos, sin melaza y con NPK), T3 (únicamente con NPK) y T4 (VCL, microorganismos, melaza y sin NPK), distribuidos en 128 macetas con ocho especies de cultivos (tomate, chile, sorgo, frijol, chícharo, maíz, calabaza y sandía) (4 réplicas por cultivo) bajo condiciones de invernadero. Después de 6 semanas, se midieron la altura de la planta y número de hojas. La significancia estadística se determinó mediante análisis de varianza (ANOVA) y la prueba de Tukey. Resultados: Los Tratamientos T1 y T2 presentaron los mejores efectos en la mayoría de las plantas. La sandía mostró una mejor respuesta a T3 y en maíz no se observaron efectos significativos. T4 mostró una influencia negativa en el desarrollo de todos los cultivos, atribuido a la incorporación de melaza. Limitaciones del estudio/implicaciones: El estudio se llevó a cabo en un corto período de tiempo y no fue posible evaluar la producción de fruto. Hallazgos/conclusiones: El VCL combinado con bacterias promotoras de crecimiento y HMA, tienen efectos positivos en el crecimiento de tomate, chile, sorgo, chícharo y calabaza; pudiendo reducir la fertilización química en un 35% sin disminuir el rendimiento. Palabras Clave: Biofertilizantes, Eisenia foetida, hongos micorrízicos arbusculares, lixiviado de vermicomposta, microorganismos promotores del crecimiento de plantas.

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