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Agriculture
Special Issues
Integrated Pest Management Strategies for Food Processing and Storage Facilities
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Integrated Pest Management Strategies for Food Processing and Storage Facilities

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Product Quality and Safety".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 1231

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Maria K. Sakka

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology, Crop Production and Rural Environment, Department of Agriculture, University of Thessaly, Phytokou Str., 38443 Nea Ionia, Greece
Interests: entomology; sustainable agriculture; beetles; insect; wheat
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Insects pose a significant threat to stored products. Currently, insect control at the post-harvest stages of agricultural products is primarily based on the use of contact insecticides and fumigants, such as phosphine, which are directly applied either to the product or to the storage and processing facility. However, the continuous use of these insecticides has led to the development of resistance by several major insect species, often rendering chemical control ineffective. Furthermore, many traditional substances are no longer in use due to their high toxicity to mammals and extreme threat to the environment.

This Special Issue aims to highlight the development, application, and evaluation of integrated pest management (IPM) strategies in food processing and storage facilities. It will focus on innovative approaches and technologies that offer sustainable and effective solutions for managing stored-product pests.

For this Special Issue, we welcome all types of articles, including original research articles, short communications, and reviews. We encourage studies that offer practical, high-precision, and innovative solutions with promising applications in the field of pest management.

Dr. Maria K. Sakka
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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 semimonthly 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

  • stored product
  • pest management
  • chemical and non-chemical control
  • food safety
  • post-harvest losses

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 3332 KiB  
Article
Modeling the Efficacy of Phosphine on Eggs of Major Stored-Product Insect Species: Investigating Strains with Varying Susceptibility Levels
by Marina Gourgouta, Maria K. Sakka, Evmorfia P. Bataka, M. Carolin Götze, Christos T. Nakas and Christos G. Athanassiou
Agriculture 2025, 15(3), 294; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15030294 - 29 Jan 2025
Viewed by 698
Abstract
Phosphine is a widely utilized fumigant insecticide in stored-product facilities; however, its excessive application and improper usage have contributed to the emergence of resistance in insect populations. Although phosphine resistance is globally recognized, limited studies address its effects across different developmental stages. This [...] Read more.
Phosphine is a widely utilized fumigant insecticide in stored-product facilities; however, its excessive application and improper usage have contributed to the emergence of resistance in insect populations. Although phosphine resistance is globally recognized, limited studies address its effects across different developmental stages. This research investigates the efficacy of phosphine on the eggs of major stored-product pests, including Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.) (Coleoptera: Silvanidae), Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae), Tribolium castaneum, and T. confusum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), focusing on strains with varying levels of phosphine susceptibility. Egg hatching rates were analyzed following exposure to phosphine concentrations ranging from 50 to 1000 ppm for durations of 1 to 7 days. Predictive models were constructed to correlate phosphine concentration and exposure time, facilitating the determination of optimal pest control strategies. The findings reveal significant differences in efficacy among species and strains, with eggs from susceptible strains experiencing complete hatch failure at 50 ppm, while resistant strains showed higher tolerance. Lethal time (LT50 and LT99) values were determined, with LT99 ranging from 6.91 to 12.95 days at 50 ppm, highlighting species-specific and age-related differences in phosphine susceptibility. Lethal concentration (LC50 and LC99) values could only be estimated for T. castaneum, with LC99 for 1-day-old eggs ranging from 773.67 ppm to 923.03 ppm after 2.5 days of exposure. Furthermore, egg age influenced susceptibility, with 2-day-old eggs exhibiting greater mortality compared to 1-day-old eggs. This study underscores the critical role of phosphine concentration, exposure duration, and developmental stage in resistance management, providing valuable insights for enhancing fumigation protocols and improving the control of stored-product pests. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Pest Management Strategies for Food Processing and Storage Facilities)
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