The Future of Azoles in Agriculture—Balancing Effectiveness and Toxicity

Azole compounds are extensively utilized in plant protection products for managing pests and diseases in both agriculture and horticulture. Moreover, azoles are the most extensively used class of fungicides worldwide. In addition to being effective against human pathogenic fungi, they are used in the food and agricultural industries to prevent and control fungal infections in crops. Unfortunately, the extensive use of azoles and subsequent overexposure have led to undesirable effects on ecosystems and non-target aquatic and terrestrial organisms. In the last decade alone, the European Union (EU) has prohibited numerous pesticides, many of which are based on azoles. Numerous azoles, especially triazoles, pyrazoles, imidazoles, and oxazoles, are still approved as active ingredients in plant protection products in the EU due to their excellent activity and minimal environmental and health impacts. However, for some, the expiry date is as close as March 2026. A computational approach for estimating their effectiveness against harmful and non-target organisms in soil, as well as detailed research into the molecular mechanism of action, is used for further evaluation of the compounds. This review provides an overview of azole pesticides and a summary of recent knowledge addressing their toxicity, future prospects, methods, and strategies to overcome their limitations.