Plant Disease Control in Agriculture

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2018) | Viewed by 31228

Special Issue Editor

Plant Stress Physiology Group, Department of Environmental Biology, Schools of Sciences and Pharmacy and Nutrition, Universidad de Navarra, Associated to CSIC (EEAD, Zaragoza, ICVV, Logroño), Pamplona, Spain
Interests: mycorrhizal fungi; nutritional quality; phytopathology; plant physiology; symbiosis
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations points out that modern agriculture must meet two objectives that seem to be almost mutually exclusive: To satisfy the nutritional needs of an increasing human population and to minimize the negative impact on the environment. However, agricultural production and food quality are threatened by pests and diseases. An integrated management style combining chemical, mechanical, physical, cultural and biological methods has been proposed as the best approach for controlling crop pests and diseases. In recent years, some authors have claimed that disease management programs must reflect the dynamism of pathogen population structure to ensure agricultural sustainability. In this context, evolutionary biologists can play a key role in designing integrated pest management programs. Climate change scenarios will aggravate the negative impact of plant pests and diseases and may alter the coevolutionary interactions between pathogens and host plants. Therefore, combining climate change, crop growth and crop disease models to predict impacts of climate change on crop diseases together with the application of modern technologies in the agriculture (such as nanotechnology, remote sensing, computer science, and telecommunications) can guide planning the most appropriate strategies to ensure future food security.

Dr. Nieves Goicoechea
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Climate change impact on crop diseases
  • Food security
  • Management of crop diseases
  • Sustainable agriculture
  • Pests and diseases management programs
  • Technology for crop disease management

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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8 pages, 231 KiB  
Article
Inhibitory Effects of Bamboo Leaf on the Growth of Pyricularia grisea Fungus
by Nguyen Phu Toan, Tran Dang Xuan, Pham Thi Thu Ha, Truong Thi Tu Anh and Tran Dang Khanh
Agriculture 2018, 8(7), 92; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture8070092 - 25 Jun 2018
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4980
Abstract
In this study, the effects of bamboo leaf were examined on mycelial growth of Pyricularia grisea, a fungus of rice blast disease that causes a great loss in rice production. The hexane extract exhibited maximal reduction on growth of P. grisea (IC [...] Read more.
In this study, the effects of bamboo leaf were examined on mycelial growth of Pyricularia grisea, a fungus of rice blast disease that causes a great loss in rice production. The hexane extract exhibited maximal reduction on growth of P. grisea (IC50 = 0.62 mg/mL), followed by aqueous and ethyl acetate extracts, while the methanol extract was least effective (IC50 = 9.71 mg/mL). At 0.5–1.0 mg/mL doses, all extracting solvents showed inhibition on the growth of P. grisea, but at a 0.1 mg/mL concentration, the antifungal activity was solely observed on hexane and ethyl acetate extracts. By GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry), 25 constituents were identified, principally belonging to long-chain fatty acids, sterols, phenols, phenolic acids, volatile oils, and derivatives of terpenes. It was suggested that compounds originated from hexane and ethyl acetate extracts such as fatty acids, oils, and phenols, and their derivatives were responsible for the antifungal activity of bamboo leaf. Non-polar constituents were accountable for the antifungal activity, although water-soluble compounds may play a role. Bamboo leaf appears to be a potent natural source to manage the infestation of P. grisea in rice cultivation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Disease Control in Agriculture)
23 pages, 1734 KiB  
Article
Bacillales Members from the Olive Rhizosphere Are Effective Biological Control Agents against the Defoliating Pathotype of Verticillium dahliae
by Carmen Gómez-Lama Cabanás, David Ruano-Rosa, Garikoitz Legarda, Paloma Pizarro-Tobías, Antonio Valverde-Corredor, Juan Carlos Triviño, Amalia Roca and Jesús Mercado-Blanco
Agriculture 2018, 8(7), 90; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture8070090 - 23 Jun 2018
Cited by 33 | Viewed by 6742
Abstract
The use of biological control agents (BCAs) is of interest within an integrated management strategy of Verticillium wilt of olive (VWO) caused by the soil-borne fungus Verticillium dahliae Kleb. Previous studies have shown that the root/rhizosphere of healthy olive plants is an important [...] Read more.
The use of biological control agents (BCAs) is of interest within an integrated management strategy of Verticillium wilt of olive (VWO) caused by the soil-borne fungus Verticillium dahliae Kleb. Previous studies have shown that the root/rhizosphere of healthy olive plants is an important reservoir of microorganisms displaying biocontrol activity against VWO (i.e., Pseudomonas strains PICF7 and PIC141). Moreover, these BCAs are already adapted to the ecological niche where they are deployed. Three novel bacteria (strains PIC28, PIC73 and PIC167) from nursery-produced olive plants were in-depth characterized using a previously implemented approach consisting of in situ isolation, in vitro antagonism tests, in planta bioassays, phenotypic and metabolic characterization, genome analyses and in silico identification of traits involved in plant-bacteria interactions, and multi-locus sequence analyses. All strains displayed in vitro growth inhibition of different olive pathogens and biocontrol effectiveness against Verticillium dahliae, with strain PIC73 being the most effective BCA. Strains PIC73 and PIC167 were identified as Paenibacillus polymyxa (Prazmowski) Ash et al. and Paenibacillus terrae Yoon et al., respectively. Strain PIC28 belongs to the Bacillus genus. Some of these Bacillales members showed in vitro compatibility with previously characterized BCAs (Pseudomonas spp. strains) also originating from the olive rhizosphere, paving the way for the future development of tailored bacterial consortia effective against VWO. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Disease Control in Agriculture)
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8 pages, 759 KiB  
Article
Importance of Agronomic Practice on the Control of Wheat Leaf Diseases
by Biruta Bankina, Gunita Bimšteine, Irina Arhipova, Jānis Kaņeps and Terēze Stanka
Agriculture 2018, 8(4), 56; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture8040056 - 08 Apr 2018
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 6432
Abstract
Soil tillage and crop rotation are considered important tools in wheat leaf disease control; however, the results of investigations are inconsistent. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of the soil tillage system and cropping sequence on the development [...] Read more.
Soil tillage and crop rotation are considered important tools in wheat leaf disease control; however, the results of investigations are inconsistent. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of the soil tillage system and cropping sequence on the development of winter wheat leaf diseases in 2012–2017. The disease development was assessed in a two-factor experiment: (a) soil tillage system; and (b) crop rotation. Foliar fungicides were used uniformly in all variants. The results showed that tan spot (caused by Pyrenophora tritici-repentis) dominated in 2012, 2013, and 2016, but the level of Septoria tritici blotch (Zymoseptoria tritici) was essentially lower and exceeded the severity of tan spot only in 2015. The agronomic practice used significantly influenced only the development of tan spot. Reduced soil tillage and continuous wheat sowing substantially increased tan spot severity, especially when both practices were used simultaneously. Short crop rotation (only wheat and oilseed rape) provided sufficient control of tan spot in ploughed fields, whereas in non-ploughed fields, the level of this disease did not decrease. The results could be explained by differences in the pathogens’ life cycle: P. tritici-repentis ascospores in wheat debris is the main source of infection; in contrast, Z. tritici spreads by conidia from living plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Disease Control in Agriculture)
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Review

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34 pages, 3967 KiB  
Review
Peach Brown Rot: Still in Search of an Ideal Management Option
by Vitus Ikechukwu Obi, Juan José Barriuso and Yolanda Gogorcena
Agriculture 2018, 8(8), 125; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture8080125 - 09 Aug 2018
Cited by 46 | Viewed by 11594
Abstract
The peach is one of the most important global tree crops within the economically important Rosaceae family. The crop is threatened by numerous pests and diseases, especially fungal pathogens, in the field, in transit, and in the store. More than 50% of the [...] Read more.
The peach is one of the most important global tree crops within the economically important Rosaceae family. The crop is threatened by numerous pests and diseases, especially fungal pathogens, in the field, in transit, and in the store. More than 50% of the global post-harvest loss has been ascribed to brown rot disease, especially in peach late-ripening varieties. In recent years, the disease has been so manifest in the orchards that some stone fruits were abandoned before harvest. In Spain, particularly, the disease has been associated with well over 60% of fruit loss after harvest. The most common management options available for the control of this disease involve agronomical, chemical, biological, and physical approaches. However, the effects of biochemical fungicides (biological and conventional fungicides), on the environment, human health, and strain fungicide resistance, tend to revise these control strategies. This review aims to comprehensively compile the information currently available on the species of the fungus Monilinia, which causes brown rot in peach, and the available options to control the disease. The breeding for brown rot-resistant varieties remains an ideal management option for brown rot disease control, considering the uniqueness of its sustainability in the chain of crop production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Disease Control in Agriculture)
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