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Feature Papers on Agrochemicals
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Feature Papers on Agrochemicals

A special issue of Agrochemicals (ISSN 2813-3145).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2025 | Viewed by 15937

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Christos G. Athanassiou

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Guest Editor
Laboratory of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology, Crop Production and Rural Environment, Department of Agriculture, University of Thessaly, Phytokou Str., 38443 N. Ionia, Magnesia, Greece
Interests: pheromones and semiochemicals; insect parasitoids; population ecology; sampling and trapping; invasive biology; integrated pest management; microbial control; chemical control; non-chemical control; stored-product protection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

During the last decade, we all have witnessed a tremendous change in the utilization of agrochemicals in terms of both regulatory and technical developments. Apart from the withdrawal of a wide range of agrochemicals, particularly plant protection products, and the introduction of modern active ingredients with novel modes of action, there are fundamental changes in the way that these agrochemicals should be applied, which, apart from maximizing their efficacy, must take into account a series of environmental and sustainability indicators.

To highlight the milestones in this ongoing process, several international organizations, such as EFSA, EPA, and others, have released updated regulations on the use of agrochemicals throughout the entire agro-food chain, which are continuously harmonized and prioritized worldwide. Although efficacy is still a major milestone in the use of agrochemicals, top priority is also given towards safety, environmental compatibility and socio-economic aspects. In this context, one of the main research advances in agrochemicals is the exploitation of these compounds and their sustainable profile, which can be applied in a wide range of agricultural systems and commodities.

Based on the above, the focus of this Special Issue is on recent advances in the use of agrochemicals, which can be illustrated in contributions related to (but not limited to):

  • Plant protection agents and biocides;
  • Socio-economic aspects in agrochemical use and business aspects;
  • Regulatory and registration updates in the use of agrochemicals;
  • Recent advances on the use of agrochemicals;
  • Novel technologies on the use of agrochemicals, incl. fertilizers, plant growth regulators, etc.;
  • Safety issues and related risk management, residues of agrochemicals;
  • Public perception and consumers’ acceptance of the use of agrochemicals.

Therefore, we kindly invite you to submit papers to this Special Issue, which will further illuminate and unfold the potential of agrochemicals.

Prof. Dr. Christos G. Athanassiou
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. Agrochemicals is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1000 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

  • insecticides
  • fungicides
  • bactericides
  • herbicides
  • plant protection products
  • sustainability
  • socio-economic aspects
  • regulatory
  • fertilizers
  • plant growth regulators
  • chemical control
  • non-chemical control
  • residues in agrochemicals

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

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 250 KiB  
Article
Exploring Chemical and Cultural Weed Management for Industrial Hemp Production in Georgia, USA
by Hannah E. Wright-Smith, Timothy W. Coolong, A. Stanley Culpepper, Taylor M. Randell-Singleton and Jenna C. Vance
Agrochemicals 2024, 3(3), 219-231; https://doi.org/10.3390/agrochemicals3030015 - 7 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1260
Abstract
Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa) production is complex, with strict regulatory constraints and challenges associated with a lack of labeled pesticides due to its status as a novel crop in the US. Four experiments were conducted in 2020 and 2021 to establish [...] Read more.
Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa) production is complex, with strict regulatory constraints and challenges associated with a lack of labeled pesticides due to its status as a novel crop in the US. Four experiments were conducted in 2020 and 2021 to establish herbicide tolerances for hemp production in the coastal plain of Georgia, USA. Objectives included evaluating hemp response to pretransplant or posttransplant herbicides, determining if planting method influenced herbicide injury from residual preplant applied herbicides, and understanding how plastic mulch may influence hemp flower yields. When applied one day prior to transplanting, maximum hemp crop visual injury was less than 12% compared to the untreated control, with acetochlor, flumioxazin, fomesafen, pendimethalin, and norflurazon while dithiopyr, halosulfuron, isoxaben, and isoxaflutole resulted in greater than 50% injury. Posttransplant applications of S-metolachlor, acetochlor, pendimethalin, and clethodim resulted in less than 15% injury while halosulfuron, metribuzin, trifloxysulfuron, imazethapyr, and prometryn applications resulted in greater than 50% injury to plants. Preplant and posttransplant applied herbicides were found to have little effect on total tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), or total cannabinoids in the dry flower after harvest. In a separate experiment, injury from halosulfuron and metribuzin was 52% to 56% less when planted with a mechanical transplanter as compared to the practice of using a transplant wheel to depress a hole in the soil followed by hand transplanting. In the final experiment, hemp dry flower yield in a non-plastic mulched (bareground) system was similar to that in a plastic mulched system. However, early season plant above-ground biomass was less in the plastic mulched system, which may have been due to elevated soil temperatures inhibiting early season growth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers on Agrochemicals)
15 pages, 735 KiB  
Article
Dicamba and 2,4-D in the Urine of Pregnant Women in the Midwest: Comparison of Two Cohorts (2010–2012 vs. 2020–2022)
by Joanne K. Daggy, David M. Haas, Yunpeng Yu, Patrick O. Monahan, David Guise, Éric Gaudreau, Jessica Larose and Charles M. Benbrook
Agrochemicals 2024, 3(1), 42-56; https://doi.org/10.3390/agrochemicals3010005 - 16 Feb 2024
Viewed by 5882
Abstract
Currently, there are no known human biomonitoring studies that concurrently examine biomarkers of dicamba and 2,4-D. We sought to compare biomarkers of exposure to herbicides in pregnant women residing in the US Midwest before and after the adoption of dicamba-tolerant soybean technology using [...] Read more.
Currently, there are no known human biomonitoring studies that concurrently examine biomarkers of dicamba and 2,4-D. We sought to compare biomarkers of exposure to herbicides in pregnant women residing in the US Midwest before and after the adoption of dicamba-tolerant soybean technology using urine specimens obtained in 2010–2012 from the Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-be (N = 61) and in 2020–2022 from the Heartland Study (N = 91). Specific gravity-standardized concentration levels for each analyte were compared between the cohorts, assuming data are lognormal and specifying values below the LOD as left-censored. The proportion of pregnant individuals with dicamba detected above the LOD significantly increased from 28% (95% CI: 16%, 40%) in 2010–2012 to 70% (95% CI: 60%, 79%) in 2020–2022, and dicamba concentrations also significantly increased from 0.066 μg/L (95% CI: 0.042, 0.104) to 0.271 μg/L (95% CI: 0.205, 0.358). All pregnant individuals from both cohorts had 2,4-D detected. Though 2,4-D concentration levels increased, the difference was not significant (p-value = 0.226). Reliance on herbicides has drastically increased in the last ten years in the United States, and the results obtained in this study highlight the need to track exposure and impacts on adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers on Agrochemicals)
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10 pages, 2009 KiB  
Article
Insecticidal Activity of Nicotiana benthamiana Trichome Exudates on the Sweetpotato Whitefly Bemisia tabaci MED (Gennadius)
by Sushant Raj Sharma, Md Munir Mostafiz and Kyeong-Yeoll Lee
Agrochemicals 2023, 2(4), 598-607; https://doi.org/10.3390/agrochemicals2040034 - 18 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1511
Abstract
Trichome is a hair-like structure involved in mechanical and chemical defenses of plants against herbivorous insects. Nicotiana benthamiana, a wild tobacco plant, has well-developed glandular trichomes that secrete sugar esters with potent repellent and insecticidal properties. However, there is a lack of [...] Read more.
Trichome is a hair-like structure involved in mechanical and chemical defenses of plants against herbivorous insects. Nicotiana benthamiana, a wild tobacco plant, has well-developed glandular trichomes that secrete sugar esters with potent repellent and insecticidal properties. However, there is a lack of information about the effectiveness of trichome extract in the control of plant-sapping insects. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of N. benthamiana trichome exudates on Bemisia tabaci MED (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), a highly destructive insect pest that poses significant threats to both vegetable and ornamental plants globally. First, we determined the host preference and mortality of B. tabaci adults using the choice test and feeding assay towards tomato and N. benthamiana plants. B. tabaci preferred tomato over N. benthamiana plants. Second, we extracted N. benthamiana trichome exudates by washing the leaves with either water or ethanol and evaluated their oral toxicities against B. tabaci adults using a parafilm feeding chamber containing 20% sucrose solution. Oral ingestion of both extracts significantly increased mortality in a concentration-dependent manner. Oral ingestion of ethanol-washed 10% trichome extract caused >60% mortality in B. tabaci adults after 36 h. Third, trichome exudates were concentrated by drying to obtain a powder form, which was more potent in killing whiteflies than the liquid form. Oral ingestion of 1% trichome powder was completely lethal to B. tabaci within 36 h. N. benthamiana trichome exudates are highly toxic to B. tabaci through oral ingestion, suggesting that N. benthamiana can be used as a potential natural pesticide for whitefly management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers on Agrochemicals)
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20 pages, 2641 KiB  
Article
Element Composition of Fractionated Water-Extractable Soil Colloidal Particles Separated by Track-Etched Membranes
by Dmitry S. Volkov, Olga B. Rogova, Svetlana T. Ovseenko, Aleksandr Odelskii and Mikhail A. Proskurnin
Agrochemicals 2023, 2(4), 561-580; https://doi.org/10.3390/agrochemicals2040032 - 17 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1401
Abstract
Membrane fractionation with track-etched membranes was used to size-profile the microelement composition of water-extractable soil colloids (WESCs). The aim of the study is the element composition of narrow WESC fractions of typical chernozems in the range of 0.01–10 µm. Micro-/ultrafiltration through a cascade [...] Read more.
Membrane fractionation with track-etched membranes was used to size-profile the microelement composition of water-extractable soil colloids (WESCs). The aim of the study is the element composition of narrow WESC fractions of typical chernozems in the range of 0.01–10 µm. Micro-/ultrafiltration through a cascade of track-etched polycarbonate membrane filters with pore sizes of 5, 2, 1, 0.8, 0.4, 0.2, 0.1, 0.05, 0.03, and 0.01 µm at room temperature was used. ICP–AES using direct spraying of obtained fractions without decomposition was used; Al, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Si, Sr, Ti, Zn, Ca, K, Mg, Na, P, and S were found. Narrow WESC fractions differ significantly. For macro- and microelements, maximum amounts of Si, Al, Fe, and Ti and their maximum percentages are observed in fractions with sizes above 1 µm, while Ca, Mg, Mn, Cu, Zn, K, and S are accumulated more in fractions with sizes below 1 µm. The developed approach provides preparative isolation of a detailed set of narrow WESC fractions in the micrometer–nanometer range. This provides element soil profiles that reveal distinct differences and the individual character of each fraction as well as trends in changes in the mineral matrix and microelement composition with fraction size. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers on Agrochemicals)
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13 pages, 2056 KiB  
Article
BioControl Agents in Europe: Substitution Plant Protection Active Substances or a New Paradigm?
by Patrice A. Marchand
Agrochemicals 2023, 2(4), 538-550; https://doi.org/10.3390/agrochemicals2040030 - 19 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1816
Abstract
Biocontrol agent (BCA) plant protection active substances composed from microorganisms, semiochemicals and substances from natural origins are increasing in Europe, since their entry into force of Regulation (EC) 1107/2009, in number and as a percentage of total active substances. As they are included [...] Read more.
Biocontrol agent (BCA) plant protection active substances composed from microorganisms, semiochemicals and substances from natural origins are increasing in Europe, since their entry into force of Regulation (EC) 1107/2009, in number and as a percentage of total active substances. As they are included in the scope of plant protection products (PPPs), this raises the question as to whether they are only substitute active substances, more socially acceptable, sustainable and environmentally preferable, or really another way of managing bioaggressors, pests and diseases. As we have conducted a survey of all active substances listed in all Parts of Regulation EU 540/2011 and compared chemical to BCA active substances, described their evolution and characteristics since 2011 and predicted the global perspective in the future years for both chemical, which are in decline, and BCA AS separately, these works raised the question of whether these BCA AS are a substitution, as is often the case for users, for the previous chemical AS, or whether they are fundamentally different new substances, which clearly obey a new vision of crop protection. This study therefore encompasses all active substances approved at any time in Europe since 2011 for both categories, whether still approved or not. At the end of this assessment, the following conclusion can be drawn: BCA AS are mainly fundamentally different substances from chemical AS, in all the compartments studied. A comparison between BCAs and chemical active substances allowed under (EC) 1107/2009 PPP Regulation is described together with a characterisation of BCA AS listed in EC 540/2011 PPP Regulation. Finally, the specific distinction of BCA vs. chemical active substance profile is analysed. This work allows us to conclude on the evolution of crop protection and the means that must be implemented to face current and new threats. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers on Agrochemicals)
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Review

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29 pages, 910 KiB  
Review
Integrating Biological Control Agents for Enhanced Management of Apple Scab (Venturia inaequalis): Insights, Risks, Challenges, and Prospects
by Chisom Augusta Okoro, Abbas El-Hasan and Ralf T. Voegele
Agrochemicals 2024, 3(2), 118-146; https://doi.org/10.3390/agrochemicals3020010 - 25 Mar 2024
Viewed by 2543
Abstract
Apple scab incited by the ascomycete Venturia inaequalis poses a significant threat to apple cultivation, necessitating a reassessment of existing disease management strategies. Attempts to manage apple scab include diverse approaches like developing disease forecasting models and the extensive application of synthetic chemical [...] Read more.
Apple scab incited by the ascomycete Venturia inaequalis poses a significant threat to apple cultivation, necessitating a reassessment of existing disease management strategies. Attempts to manage apple scab include diverse approaches like developing disease forecasting models and the extensive application of synthetic chemical fungicides. However, the efficacy of these methods is compromised by inconsistencies, environmental concerns, and the pathogen’s resistance, necessitating the exploration of alternative sustainable strategies. Addressing the challenges associated with apple scab management, this review strongly supports a shift towards the integration of biological control agents (BCAs). Emphasising the transformative synergy between BCAs and their bioactive secondary metabolites, we highlight their efficacy in advancing precision disease control through innovative and sustainable solutions. The review effectively presents a strong justification for the integration of BCAs and their by-products into apple scab management, offering insights into associated benefits, risks, and challenges while outlining promising prospects. Ultimately, it is expected to drive the adoption of environmentally conscious practices for effective apple scab management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers on Agrochemicals)
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