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Integrated Management of Soil-Borne Diseases—Second Edition
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Integrated Management of Soil-Borne Diseases—Second Edition

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 (20 April 2026) | Viewed by 3547

Editors

Prof. Dr. Aocheng Cao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Interests: soil-borne disease; chemical control; soil fumigation; control efficacy; crop yield; economic assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Dongdong Yan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Interests: soil fumigation; soil nematode; soil microorganism; determination of soil quality; assessment of soil health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Wensheng Fang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Interests: soil-borne diseases; plant protection; pesticide science; soil microorganisms
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the development of protected agriculture and the continuous cultivation of high-value crops, a large number of pathogenic fungi, bacteria and insect eggs accumulate in the soil. Soil-borne diseases such as fusarium wilt, root rot, bacterial wilt and root-knot nematodes occur frequently. Soil-borne diseases are becoming increasingly serious. Due to the high multiple cropping levels and less fallowing and crop rotation, soil-borne diseases are more serious in agricultural cultivation in developing countries than in developed countries, resulting in a significant decline in crop yield and quality, which restricts the cultivation and sustainable development of protected cultivation. The irrational application of pesticides and fertilizers in the management of soil-borne diseases also leads to the deterioration of soil quality. The scientific treatment of soil-borne diseases is an important approach for improving the quality of farmland.

This Special Issue is a continuation of the previous Special Issue: “Integrated Management of Soil-Borne Diseases” and welcomes original research papers, short communications and reviews focusing on the following topics: the transmission and epidemics of soil-borne disease; the diagnosis and identification of soil-borne diseases; images of diseases that aid AI diagnosis; experiment techniques and methodologies; the pathogenesis of soil-borne diseases; the chemical and biological control of soil-borne diseases; soil disinfection technologies; new products of soil fumigants; formulations and application methods for soil fumigants; the mode of action of soil fumigants; the environmental behavior of soil fumigants; the ecological and environmental effects of soil fumigants; and the economic assessment of soil-borne disease management products and technologies.

Prof. Dr. Aocheng Cao
Dr. Dongdong Yan
Dr. Wensheng Fang
Guest Editors

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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

  • soil-borne diseases
  • replant disease
  • Fusarium spp.
  • Ralstonia solanacearum
  • root-knot nematode
  • soil-borne virus
  • mages of diseases
  • AI technology
  • chemical control
  • control efficacy
  • pre-plant fumigation
  • soil fumigant
  • soil disinfestation technologies
  • biological control agent
  • horticultural crops
  • economic assessment

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 6739 KB  
Article
Soil Fumigation Combined with Seed Rhizome Disinfection to Synergistically Promote Soil Health and Increase Ginger Yield
by Lirui Ren, Haitao Yu, Xinyu Fu, Lijun Bo, Ping Han, Yuan Li and Aocheng Cao
Agriculture 2026, 16(6), 692; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16060692 - 19 Mar 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 732
Abstract
Soil-borne diseases have become increasingly serious due to continuous planting. Soil fumigation may be inadequate because of the persistence of soil-borne pathogens on ginger seed rhizome. A combined strategy of soil fumigation and seed rhizome disinfection would be necessary to achieve synergistic control. [...] Read more.
Soil-borne diseases have become increasingly serious due to continuous planting. Soil fumigation may be inadequate because of the persistence of soil-borne pathogens on ginger seed rhizome. A combined strategy of soil fumigation and seed rhizome disinfection would be necessary to achieve synergistic control. In this study, the approach of soil fumigation with chloropicrin (CP) coupled with seed rhizome disinfection (Copper, Cu) was first adopted to evaluate the synergistic effects on soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities and microbial communities, and therefore reveal mechanisms for soil microecological health and crop yield promotion. The results showed the comprehensive strategy could reduce NO3−-N content, and the activities of soil enzymes, while increased NH4+-N content, EX-Cu, and OXI-Cu content, which were positively correlated with ginger yield but negatively correlated with soil-borne pathogens and plant mortality. On the other hand, there was a reduction in bacterial diversity and richness, which was positively correlated with the abundance of soil-borne pathogens. Moreover, some beneficial soil microorganisms’ relative abundance (such as Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacillus, and Sphingomonas.) was increased. The strategy decreased the abundance of Fusarium spp. and Phytophthora spp. by 49.41–90.07% and 43.34–89.21%, respectively. Compared with other treatments, the combination decreased the ginger mortality by 5.70–57.02% and increased the growth of ginger plants and yield by 3.58–139.96%, and 13.11–399.74%, respectively. This study highlights a prospect to promote ginger growth and yield by blocking the transmission of primary infection pathogens in ginger cultivation and improving soil ecological environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Management of Soil-Borne Diseases—Second Edition)
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21 pages, 5543 KB  
Article
Design and Research of Soil Disinfection Pesticide Application Control System Based on PSO-PID Algorithm
by Mengdi Xu, Zhichong Wang, Xiangjie Niu, Zhen Wang, Wei Zou, Changyuan Zhai and Si Li
Agriculture 2026, 16(4), 481; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16040481 - 21 Feb 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 468
Abstract
Soil-borne diseases and continuous cropping obstacles have become critical factors constraining sustainable agricultural development. Traditional pesticide application methods commonly suffer from uneven dosage distribution, significant chemical waste, and environmental pollution. To enhance the precision and system stability of soil disinfection, this paper designs [...] Read more.
Soil-borne diseases and continuous cropping obstacles have become critical factors constraining sustainable agricultural development. Traditional pesticide application methods commonly suffer from uneven dosage distribution, significant chemical waste, and environmental pollution. To enhance the precision and system stability of soil disinfection, this paper designs a precision pesticide application system for soil disinfection based on the Particle Swarm Optimization Proportional-Integral-Derivative algorithm (PSO-PID). Centered on a C37 controller, the system integrates the application pipeline, pumps, electric ball valves, multiple sensors, and a control terminal. The PSO-PID algorithm was deployed on the Codesys V2.3 platform, achieving precise flow control by adjusting electric ball valve openings in conjunction with velocity feedback. Simulink simulations showed that the PSO-PID algorithm outperforms conventional PID control in terms of settling time, overshoot, and steady-state error. Bench tests further validated the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. Compared to conventional PID, the PSO-PID algorithm demonstrates superior control accuracy, faster response time, and enhanced application stability, with relative errors of 2.33%, 1.25%, and 1.20% respectively, while those of the conventional PID algorithm reach 3.67%, 3.35% and 4.88% respectively, representing a reduction of approximately 50% compared with the conventional PID algorithm. The results of the system application uniformity test indicated that the PSO-PID algorithm reduces relative error by approximately 40% compared to conventional PID, with the coefficients of variation being 2.02%, 1.73% and 1.81% respectively, which represented a significant improvement over those of the conventional PID algorithm (3.36%, 3.13% and 3.81%). Both application uniformity and stability outperform conventional PID algorithms, effectively minimizing application deviation. It outperforms conventional PID in both application uniformity and stability, effectively minimizing application deviation. The findings demonstrate that the proposed PSO-PID application control method achieves high control accuracy and application stability, providing reliable technical support for precision soil disinfection application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Management of Soil-Borne Diseases—Second Edition)
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Review

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19 pages, 752 KB  
Review
Integrated Management of Damping-Off in Tomato Seedling Caused by Soil-Borne Fungi and Oomycetes Under Protected Cultivation Systems
by Michel Leiva-Mora, Orelvis Portal, Luis Rodrigo Saa, Segundo Euclides Curay Quispe, Ariel Villalobos Olivera and Marcos Edel Martínez Montero
Agriculture 2026, 16(12), 1261; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16121261 - 7 Jun 2026
Viewed by 304
Abstract
Damping-off disease represents a major constraint in greenhouse tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) production, being primarily caused by soil-borne fungi and oomycetes whose persistence is intensified by intensive cultivation practices. This review synthesizes current knowledge on integrated disease management strategies targeting these pathogens [...] Read more.
Damping-off disease represents a major constraint in greenhouse tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) production, being primarily caused by soil-borne fungi and oomycetes whose persistence is intensified by intensive cultivation practices. This review synthesizes current knowledge on integrated disease management strategies targeting these pathogens in protected cropping systems. Cultural practices (e.g., substrate sanitation and irrigation control), physical and chemical soil disinfestation, deployment of resistant cultivars, and biological control agents (e.g., Trichoderma, Bacillus, and Pseudomonas) are critically evaluated. Available evidence indicates that integrated approaches consistently reduce pathogen inoculum, limit infection processes, and enhance seedling establishment and vigor, thereby outperforming single-method interventions. Synergistic interactions among practices strengthen rhizosphere resilience and contribute to sustained soil health. Overall, integrated disease management offers an effective and environmentally sound framework to mitigate damping-off, reduce reliance on chemical inputs, and ensure stable tomato production in protected cultivation systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Management of Soil-Borne Diseases—Second Edition)
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26 pages, 646 KB  
Review
A Review on the Mechanism of Soil Flame Disinfection and the Precise Control Technology of the Device
by Yunhe Zhang, Ying Wang, Jinshi Chen and Yu Zhang
Agriculture 2025, 15(23), 2447; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15232447 - 26 Nov 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1288
Abstract
Soil disinfection is of great significance in reducing soil pests and weeds, overcoming the problem of crop continuous cropping obstacles, and ensuring the quality and safety of agricultural products. Soil flame disinfection technology, as a supplementary soil disinfection method that can be incorporated [...] Read more.
Soil disinfection is of great significance in reducing soil pests and weeds, overcoming the problem of crop continuous cropping obstacles, and ensuring the quality and safety of agricultural products. Soil flame disinfection technology, as a supplementary soil disinfection method that can be incorporated into an integrated plant protection system, has attracted much attention in recent years due to its characteristics of low resistance, greenness, environmental friendliness, and high efficiency. However, soil flame disinfection can also have a certain impact on soil organic matter and microbial communities, which is a core challenge that limits the promotion of flame disinfection technology. Clarifying the mechanism and temperature distribution of flame disinfection, accurately controlling flame disinfection parameters, can not only kill harmful organisms in soil, but also minimize damage to soil organic matter and microbial communities is the current research focus. This paper presents a comprehensive summary and discussion of the research progress regarding the mechanism of soil flame disinfection technology, the distribution of temperature fields, and the precise control technology for disinfection machines. It thoroughly elaborates on the efficacy of flame in eliminating typical soil-borne diseases and pests, the destructive impact of flame on soil organic matter and beneficial microbial communities, as well as the current status of research and development on soil flame disinfection devices. Additionally, it explores the pressing technical challenges that remain to be addressed. The article then discusses the future market prospects of soil flame disinfection equipment, focusing on key technological breakthroughs and opportunities, providing theoretical support for the next research, optimization and promotion of soil flame disinfection technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Management of Soil-Borne Diseases—Second Edition)
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