Feature Papers in Crop Protection, Diseases, Pests and Weeds

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Protection, Diseases, Pests and Weeds".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2024) | Viewed by 5707

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Complesso Universitario Monte S. Angelo Via Cintia 4, I-80126 Naples, Italy
Interests: secondary metabolites in plant-pathogen interaction; natural substances with biological activity; chromatographic techniques; spectroscopic methods
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Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Via Federico Delpino 1, I-80137 Naples, Italy
Interests: plant protection; biocontrol; bioactive secondary metabolites; biopesticides; biostimulants; Trichoderma spp.; disease resistance; biofertilizers; host plant resistance; pest management
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The section of the Agriculture journal “Crop Protection, Diseases, Pests, and Weeds” has always strived toward the publication high-quality of published papers. I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the results achieved to date.

The constant challenges faced by the agricultural sector regarding climate change, and the evolution of pesticide resistance, as well as the need to reduce the use of the latter, encourage us to continue along this path. As part of integrated pest management (pathogens, animal pests and weeds), particular attention has been paid to studies exploring innovative strategies of control in the context of sustainable agriculture. 

This Special Issue aims to collect the most advanced studies in the field of crop protection, pest management, identification of pathogens, biological control, development of safe pesticides with novel mechanisms of action, studies of plant–microbe interactions, and more.

In this respect, in this Special Issue, multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary original papers and reviews will be collected. Contributions to this Special Issue are only accepted from the editorial board and scientists invited by the editorial board.

Dr. Anna Andolfi
Dr. Francesco Vinale
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • integrated pest management
  • biological control
  • sustainable agriculture
  • environmental impact
  • climatic change and emerging diseases
  • eco-friendly pest control
  • plant–microbe interactions

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1030 KiB  
Article
Suppressive Activity of Glechoma hederacea Extracts against the Phytopathogenic Oomycete Plasmopara viticola, and First Screening of the Active Metabolites
by Jesús G. Zorrilla, Oscar Giovannini, Stefano Nadalini, Alberto Zanini, Maria Teresa Russo, Marco Masi, Gerardo Puopolo and Alessio Cimmino
Agriculture 2024, 14(1), 58; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14010058 - 28 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1432
Abstract
Plasmopara viticola is a destructive oomycete that affects grapevines, causing significant economic losses worldwide. This study highlights how the plant Glechoma hederacea might be at the basis for the development of biofungicides to control P. viticola. The aqueous extract obtained from G. [...] Read more.
Plasmopara viticola is a destructive oomycete that affects grapevines, causing significant economic losses worldwide. This study highlights how the plant Glechoma hederacea might be at the basis for the development of biofungicides to control P. viticola. The aqueous extract obtained from G. hederacea aerial parts showed strong inhibition activity against P. viticola, comparable to that of copper hydroxide. The bioguided purification of the extract by chromatographic techniques led to the isolation of six pure metabolites, identified as the aromatic compounds carvacrol, caffeic acid and methyl caffeate, the flavonoids cirsimaritin and apigenin and the polyphenolic acid rosmarinic acid by spectroscopic methods. This is the first report about the isolation of methyl caffeate and cirsimaritin from G. hederacea. Caffeic acid and methyl caffeate showed the highest disease severity reduction, while carvacrol, cirsimaritin and apigenin also showed moderate activity against P. viticola. The inhibitory activity of the aqueous extract could suggest synergetic or additive action of caffeic acid and methyl caffeate together with other compounds contained in the extract. This study provides insights into the potential of G. hederacea as an allelopathic tool for developing control methods against P. viticola, revealing the combined action of different metabolites involved in the mechanism of action of the active compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Crop Protection, Diseases, Pests and Weeds)
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16 pages, 1145 KiB  
Article
Glyphosate-Based Herbicide Formulations and Their Relevant Active Ingredients Affect Soil Springtails Even Five Months after Application
by Anna Altmanninger, Verena Brandmaier, Bernhard Spangl, Edith Gruber, Eszter Takács, Mária Mörtl, Szandra Klátyik, András Székács and Johann G. Zaller
Agriculture 2023, 13(12), 2260; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13122260 - 11 Dec 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2146
Abstract
Glyphosate is the most widely used active ingredient (AI) in glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) worldwide and is also known to affect a variety of soil organisms. However, we know little about how the effects of glyphosate AIs differ from those of GBHs that also [...] Read more.
Glyphosate is the most widely used active ingredient (AI) in glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) worldwide and is also known to affect a variety of soil organisms. However, we know little about how the effects of glyphosate AIs differ from those of GBHs that also contain so-called inert co-formulants. We conducted a greenhouse experiment using the model cover crop white mustard (Sinapis alba) to investigate the effects of three GBHs (Roundup PowerFlex, Roundup LB Plus, and Touchdown Quattro) and their respective glyphosate AIs (glyphosate potassium, isopropylamine, and diammonium salt) on epedaphic springtails (Sminthurinus niger; Collembola) activity in soils with low (3.0%) or high (4.1%) organic matter content (SOM). Springtail activity was assessed using pitfall traps. Most GBHs and AIs reduced springtail activity compared to mechanical removal of mustard in the short-term and even up to 5 months after application. GBHs and AIs differed considerably in their effects on springtail activity, and effects were modified by SOM content. Our results highlight the need to (i) distinguish between the effects of glyphosate AIs and commercial GBH formulations, (ii) disclose all ingredients of GBHs, as co-formulants also affect non-target organisms, and (iii) include soil properties in ecotoxicological risk assessments for soil organisms to better characterize the situation in the field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Crop Protection, Diseases, Pests and Weeds)
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13 pages, 1300 KiB  
Article
Influence of Temperature and Wetness on Taphrina deformans Ascospore and Blastospore Germination: Disease Forecasting and Validation
by Thomas Thomidis and Maria Paresidou
Agriculture 2023, 13(10), 1974; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13101974 - 11 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1612
Abstract
Peach leaf curl is a fungal disease caused by Taphrina deformans, and it can severely affect the health and productivity of peach and nectarine trees (Prunus persica) if left unmanaged. This study was carried out to investigate the temperature and [...] Read more.
Peach leaf curl is a fungal disease caused by Taphrina deformans, and it can severely affect the health and productivity of peach and nectarine trees (Prunus persica) if left unmanaged. This study was carried out to investigate the temperature and wetness conditions that affect the germination of blastospores and ascospores of local isolates of the fungus T. deformans. The results showed that the rate of both ascospore and blastospore germination was reduced as the temperature increased from 0 to 20 °C. A decrease in temperature from the range of 25 °C to 30 °C caused a reduction in the germination of conidia for both ascospores and blastospores. Ascospore and blastospore germination were totally inhibited at −3 and 35 °C. Under constant temperatures of 20 °C, the percentage of both ascospore and blastospore germination of T. deformans gradually increased as the wetness period increased from 9 to 15 h. However, there was no further increase in germination observed beyond the 15 h wetness period. Additionally, this study aimed to validate the predictive models of T. deformans, developed based on the favorable temperatures and leaf wetness durations, under the specific field conditions of Naoussa, Greece. The results indicate that while both the ascosporic and blastosporic models were capable of correctly predicting infection periods, there were differences in their predictions of infection risk. The ascosporic model predicted lower risk infection, which aligned well with the observed symptoms of the disease. In contrast, the blastosporic model predicted higher risk infection, but this did not match the actual intensity of the symptoms. Finally, this study also provided insights into the potential benefits of using predictive models to guide fungicide applications, potentially leading to more targeted and efficient disease management strategies for commercial peach orchards. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Crop Protection, Diseases, Pests and Weeds)
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