Approaches for Plant-Parasitic Nematode Control

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: 25 May 2025 | Viewed by 1109

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA), Bp 415 Rp, Rabat 10060, Morocco
Interests: plant-parasitic nematodes; biological control; biocontrol agents; entomopathogenic nematodes; interaction between plant-parasitic nematodes and other soil microorganisms; new eco-friendly management strategies for plant-parasitic nematodes; morphological and molecular identification of plant-parasitic nematodes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The challenge of managing plant-parasitic nematodes is a growing concern in sustainable agriculture, especially as these pests threaten global crop productivity and quality. Traditional chemical nematicides, although effective, often pose environmental and health risks, pushing researchers and producers alike to explore safer, eco-friendly alternatives. In recent years, innovative control strategies have emerged, emphasizing biological and integrated approaches for effective and sustainable nematode management.

This Special Issue focuses on alternative strategies that promote the natural resilience of plants against nematodes, including biological control agents, resistant crop varieties, and improved soil health practices. Biological control, through the use of nematophagous fungi, bacteria, and entomopathogenic nematodes, holds promise for reducing nematode populations while maintaining ecological balance. Additionally, crop rotation, cover cropping, and organic amendments offer avenues for suppressing nematode densities naturally by disrupting their life cycles and enhancing the growth of beneficial soil organisms.

We also encourage contributions on molecular and genetic techniques, such as RNA interference (RNAi) and CRISPR/Cas9, which target nematode-specific genes and disrupt their development and infectivity. Insights into plant–nematode interactions, root exudates, and soil microbiomes will provide a comprehensive understanding of these systems, paving the way for innovative and sustainable nematode control.

Through this Special Issue, we aim to advance knowledge on sustainable nematode management, contributing to resilient agroecosystems and improved crop productivity while minimizing reliance on chemical interventions.

Dr. Fouad Mokrini
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

  • plant-parasitic nematodes
  • sustainable agriculture
  • biological control
  • nematode management
  • crop resistance
  • soil health
  • crop protection

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

11 pages, 1602 KiB  
Article
Nematocidal Potential of Synthetic Phenyl Azide Derivatives Against False Root-Knot Nematode (Nacobbus aberrans) Under In Vitro Conditions
by Julio Cruz-Arévalo, Alonzo González-González, Eyra Ortiz-Pérez, Lenci K. Vázquez-Jiménez, Timoteo Delgado-Maldonado, Alma D. Paz-González, Jesús Antonio Pineda-Alegría, Gildardo Rivera and Liliana Aguilar-Marcelino
Agriculture 2025, 15(7), 688; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15070688 - 25 Mar 2025
Viewed by 339
Abstract
The primary strategy for managing Nacobbus aberrans has traditionally relied on synthetic chemicals. However, increasing regulatory pressure on unsafe products has led to a growing research focus on nematicides. Despite this, chemical nematicides remain more effective than other control methods. Consequently, there is [...] Read more.
The primary strategy for managing Nacobbus aberrans has traditionally relied on synthetic chemicals. However, increasing regulatory pressure on unsafe products has led to a growing research focus on nematicides. Despite this, chemical nematicides remain more effective than other control methods. Consequently, there is a pressing need to develop novel nematicides that are both effective and environmentally safer. This study aimed to evaluate the nematocidal efficacy of various synthetic molecules against the second-stage juveniles of N. aberrans, the false root-knot nematode. A total of fifty-eight synthetic derivatives were obtained and tested in vitro at a concentration of 500 µg/mL. The results identified the AGAz family as the most promising, with AGAz-3 (LC50: 52.7 µg/mL) and AGAz-4 (LC50: 103.22 µg/mL) surpassing the efficacy of chitosan. Our findings emphasize the strong potential of AGAz-3 and AGAz-4 as nematocidal agents, particularly for in situ applications in agricultural settings. Additionally, AGAz-3 demonstrates potential not only as a nematocidal agent but also as an incentive for related research exploring its analogs as effective ovicidal compounds and investigating its efficacy against other phytonematodes. Furthermore, compounds from the N-Sulfonyl-hydrazone and N-acyl-hydrazone series showed efficacy (>50%), warranting additional experiments to assess their effectiveness across the most important pest phytonematodes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Approaches for Plant-Parasitic Nematode Control)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop