Editorial for the Special Issue “Pests, Pesticides, Pollinators and Sustainable Farming”

Antonios Tsagkarakis; Georgios Papadoulis; Argyro Kalaitzaki

doi:10.3390/agronomy15112590

,

and

¹

Laboratory of Sericulture and Apiculture, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 118 55 Athens, Greece

²

Laboratory of Agricultural Zoology and Entomology, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 118 55 Athens, Greece

³

Institute of Olive Tree, Subtropical Crops and Viticulture, Hellenic Agricultural Organization ‘DIMITRA’, 73 100 Chania, Greece

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Agronomy2025, 15(11), 2590;https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15112590

This article belongs to the Special Issue Pests, Pesticides, Pollinators and Sustainable Farming

Version Notes

Order Reprints

1. Introduction

The global agricultural sector continues to face the pressing challenge of ensuring food security while maintaining ecological integrity. Modern crop production systems must address the dual crises of pest pressure and pollinator decline, both of which are influenced by climate change, habitat loss, and extensive synthetic pesticide use. Conventional pest management, while historically successful in securing yields, often results in ecological disruption, pest resistance, and negative effects on beneficial organisms [,,]. Thus, sustainable farming systems must embrace integrative approaches that combine effective pest suppression with pollinator conservation and ecosystem resilience [].

This Special Issue of Agronomy, entitled “Pests, Pesticides, Pollinators and Sustainable Farming,” brings together thirteen papers—twelve original research articles and one review—that collectively reflect the growing scientific and technological advances supporting the transition toward environmentally sound agricultural practices. The contributions span field ecology, chemical ecology, biotechnology, and precision agriculture, all converging on the shared objective of reconciling pest management with biodiversity conservation.

2. Highlights of This Special Issue

The importance of pollinator services and landscape diversification is reflected in studies demonstrating that sowing flowering plant mixtures in field margins enhances pollinator and natural enemy populations, leading to improved ecosystem functionality and potential yield gains [,]. Similar findings across cropping systems highlight how habitat diversification strengthens pollination services and biological control [,].

Efforts to develop alternative pest management tools based on natural products and microorganisms are gaining momentum globally. For example, essential oils and microbial biocontrol agents have shown promise in suppressing major pests while improving plant vigor [,]. These approaches align with the global transition toward bio-based pest management, minimizing chemical inputs and ecological disturbance [,].

Several contributions to this Special Issue also address the use of innovative technologies and ecological knowledge for pest monitoring and detection. Recent developments in unmanned aerial systems (UAS), hyperspectral imaging, and machine learning offer powerful tools for early pest detection and precision management [,]. Such tools can greatly enhance the efficiency of integrated pest management (IPM) programs and reduce pesticide reliance.

Ecological risks associated with pesticide exposure remain an urgent issue. Longitudinal studies have demonstrated that chronic pesticide exposure contributes to pollinator health decline and increased pathogen prevalence [,]. These findings reinforce the call for policies that integrate pesticide risk assessment with pollinator protection frameworks.

Finally, global perspectives on pest control are increasingly emphasizing preventive and ecologically based approaches. Locust management, for instance, has evolved from chemical-intensive eradication to early warning systems and habitat-based prevention strategies [,,]. This shift exemplifies how sustainable pest control and ecosystem stewardship can coexist within resilient agricultural systems.

3. Conclusions

Taken together, the papers in this Special Issue illustrate viable pathways toward resilient, biodiversity-friendly farming systems through field experimentation, technological innovation, and ecological understanding. They reaffirm that pest control and pollinator protection are complementary objectives within sustainable agriculture. By integrating ecological principles, innovative technologies, and international collaboration, the agricultural sector can achieve both productivity and environmental stewardship.

We extend our sincere gratitude to all authors for their valuable contributions, to the reviewers for their time and expertise in ensuring scientific rigor, and to the Agronomy editorial team for their continuous support and professionalism. The collective efforts represented in this Special Issue advance our understanding of how to achieve productive, resilient, and ecologically sustainable farming systems for the future.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, A.T.; methodology, A.T., G.P. and A.K.; writing—original draft preparation, A.T., G.P. and A.K.; writing—review and editing, A.T., G.P. and A.K.; visualization, A.T.; supervision, A.T. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

List of Contributions

Kati, V.; Stathakis, T.; Economou, L.; Mylonas, P.; Barda, M.; Angelioudakis, T.; Bratidou Parlapani, A.; Tsamis, I.; Karamouna, F. Processing Tomato Crop Benefits from Flowering Plants in Field Margins That Support Pollinators and Natural Enemies. Agronomy 2025, 15, 1558. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15071558.
Sarma, A.K.; Neog, B.; Deka, M.K.; Carabet, A.; Stef, R. Variable Transect Method Outperformed in Sampling Hymenopteran Flower Visitors in Brassica campestris L. var. toria Ecosystem. Agronomy 2025, 15, 1281. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15061281.
Nikolova, M.; Lyubenova, A.; Yankova-Tsvetkova, E.; Georgiev, B.; Gavrilov, G.; Gavrilova, A. Satureja kitaibelii Essential Oil and Extracts: Bioactive Compounds and Pesticide Properties. Agronomy 2025, 15, 357. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15020357.
Papantzikos, V.; Mantzoukas, S.; Koutsompina, A.; Karali, E.M.; Eliopoulos, P.A.; Servis, D.; Bitivanos, S.; Patakioutas, G. Use of Beauveria bassiana and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Strains as Gossypium hirsutum Seed Coatings: Evaluation of the Bioinsecticidal and Biostimulant Effects in Semi-Field Conditions. Agronomy 2024, 14, 2335. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14102335.
Munawar, A.; Zhang, H.; Zhang, J.; Zhang, X.; Shi, X.-X.; Chen, X.; Li, Z.; He, X.; Zhong, J.; Zhu, Z.; et al. Entomopathogenic Fungus Treatment Affects Trophic Interactions by Altering Volatile Emissions in Tomato. Agronomy 2025, 15, 1161. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15051161.
Panopoulou, C.; Antonopoulos, A.; Arapostathi, E.; Stamouli, M.; Katsileros, A.; Tsagkarakis, A. Using Multispectral Data from UAS in Machine Learning to Detect Infestation by Xylotrechus chinensis (Chevrolat) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in Mulberries. Agronomy 2024, 14, 2061. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14092061.
Mo, L.; Xie, R.; Ye, F.; Wang, G.; Wu, P.; Yi, X. Enhanced Tomato Pest Detection via Leaf Imagery with a New Loss Function. Agronomy 2024, 14, 1197. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14061197.
Thanou, Z.; Stamouli, M.; Magklara, A.; Theodorou, D.; Stamatakou, G.; Konidis, G.; Koufopoulou, P.; Lyberopoulos, C.; Tribonia, S.; Vetsos, P.; et al. Faunistic Study of Auchenorrhyncha in Olive Orchards in Greece, Including First Records of Species. Agronomy 2024, 14, 2792. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14122792.
Holý, K.; Kovaříková, K. Spring Abundance, Migration Patterns and Damaging Period of Aleyrodes proletella in the Czech Republic. Agronomy 2024, 14, 1477. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14071477.
Wen, J.; Shan, Z.; Zou, Y.; Lin, X.; Cui, Z.; Yan, R.; Cao, F. Developing an Effective Push–Pull System for Managing Outbreaks of the Invasive Pest Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Nephelium lappaceum Orchards. Agronomy 2024, 14, 890. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14050890.
Sun, Y.; Chen, D.; Chen, X.; Wu, X. Stress Response of Citrus Leaves under Mechanical Damage and Huanglongbing Disease Infection Using Plasmonic TiO₂ Nanotube Substrate-Based Imprinting Mass Spectrometry Imaging. Agronomy 2024, 14, 1797. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14081797.
Kegley, S.E.; Radford, R.; Brown, T.J.; Anderson, J.; Cox, D.; Ellis, S.; Marcy, G.W. Longitudinal Analysis of Honey Bee Colony Health as a Function of Pesticide Exposure. Agronomy 2024, 14, 2505. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14112505.
Panopoulou, C.; Tsagkarakis, A. From Surveillance to Sustainable Control: A Global Review of Strategies for Locust Management. Agronomy 2025, 15, 2268. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15102268.

References

Goulson, D.; Nicholls, E.; Botías, C.; Rotheray, E.L. Bee declines driven by combined stress from parasites, pesticides, and lack of flowers. Science 2015, 347, 1255957. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Pimentel, D. Environmental and Economic Costs of the Application of Pesticides Primarily in the United States. Environ. Dev. Sustain. 2005, 7, 229–252. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Carvalho, F.P. Pesticides, environment, and food safety. Food Energy Secur. 2017, 6, 48–60. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Pretty, J.; Bharucha, Z.P. Integrated Pest Management for Sustainable Intensification of Agriculture in Asia and Africa. Insects 2015, 6, 152–182. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Kremen, C.; Miles, A. Ecosystem services in biologically diversified versus conventional farming systems: Benefits, externalities, and trade-offs. Ecol. Soc. 2012, 17, 40. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Garibaldi, L.A.; Steffan-Dewenter, I.; Winfree, R.; Aizen, M.A.; Bommarco, R.; Cunningham, S.A.; Kremen, C.; Carvalheiro, L.G.; Harder, L.D.; Afik, O.; et al. Wild pollinators enhance fruit set of crops regardless of honey bee abundance. Science 2013, 339, 1608–1611. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Kennedy, C.M.; Lonsdorf, E.; Neel, M.C.; Williams, N.M.; Ricketts, T.H.; Winfree, R.; Bommarco, R.; Brittain, C.; Burley, A.L.; Cariveau, D.; et al. A Global Quantitative Synthesis of Local and Landscape Effects on Wild Bee Pollinators in Agroecosystems. Ecol. Lett. 2013, 16, 584–599. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Kleijn, D.; Winfree, R.; Bartomeus, I.; Carvalheiro, L.G.; Henry, M.; Isaacs, R.; Klein, A.M.; Kremen, C.; M’Gonigle, L.K.; Rader, R.; et al. Delivery of Crop Pollination Services Is an Insufficient Argument for Wild Pollinator Conservation. Nat. Commun. 2015, 6, 7414. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Isman, M.B. Botanical insecticides, deterrents, and repellents in modern agriculture and increasingly regulated world. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 2020, 65, 233–249. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Chandler, D.; Bailey, A.S.; Tatchell, G.M.; Davidson, G.; Greaves, J.; Grant, W.P. The development, regulation, and use of biopesticides for integrated pest management. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B 2011, 366, 1987–1998. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Raveau, R.; Fontaine, J.; Lounès-Hadj Sahraoui, A. Essential Oils as Potential Alternative Biocontrol Products against Plant Pathogens and Weeds: A Review. Foods 2020, 9, 365. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Glare, T.; Caradus, J.; Gelernter, W.; Jackson, T.; Keyhani, N.; Köhl, J.; Marrone, P.; Morin, L.; Stewart, A. Have Biopesticides Come of Age? Trends Biotechnol. 2012, 30, 250–258. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Vijayakumar, S.; Shanmugapriya, P.; Saravanane, P.; Ramesh, T.; Murugaiyan, V.; Ilakkiya, S. Precision Weed Control Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Robots: Assessing Feasibility, Bottlenecks, and Recommendations for Scaling. NDT 2025, 3, 10. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Liakos, K.G.; Busato, P.; Moshou, D.; Pearson, S.; Bochtis, D. Machine Learning in Agriculture: A Review. Sensors 2018, 18, 2674. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Woodcock, B.A.; Bullock, J.M.; Shore, R.F.; Heard, M.S.; Pereira, M.G.; Redhead, J.; Ridding, L.; Dean, H.; Sleep, D.; Henrys, P.; et al. Country-Specific Effects of Neonicotinoid Pesticides on Honey Bees and Wild Bees. Science 2017, 356, 1393–1395. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Sánchez-Bayo, F.; Goka, K. Pesticide Residues and Bees—A Risk Assessment. PLoS ONE 2014, 9, e94482. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Lecoq, M. Desert Locust Management: From Ecology to Anthropology. J. Orthoptera Res. 2005, 14, 179–186. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Lecoq, M. Integrated Pest Management for Locusts and Grasshoppers: Are Alternatives to Chemical Pesticides Credible? J. Orthoptera Res. 2010, 19, 131–132. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Panopoulou, C.; Tsagkarakis, A. From Surveillance to Sustainable Control: A Global Review of Strategies for Locust Management. Agronomy 2025, 15, 2268. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.

© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).