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Agronomy
Special Issues
Progress and Innovations in Biological Control of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes
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Progress and Innovations in Biological Control of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Pest and Disease Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 July 2025 | Viewed by 1517

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Isabel Conceição

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Associate Laboratory TERRA, Department of Life Sciences, Centre for Functional Ecology-Science for People and the Planet (CFE), University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000 456 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: plant-parasitic nematodes; control; plant protection; biodiversity; species identification
Prof. Dr. Maria José Cunha

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Coimbra Agriculture School, Polytechnic University of Coimbra, Bencanta, 3045-601 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: phytopathology; plant protection; plant-parasitic nematodes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleague,

Plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) cause significant damage to crops worldwide, leading to substantial economic losses in agriculture. The management of these nematodes is mainly performed using synthetic chemical nematicides, which pose environmental risks and often result in the development of resistance among nematode populations. As a result, there has been a growing interest in the development and implementation of biological control methods as sustainable alternatives. These alternatives can involve the use of natural enemies, such as nematophagous fungi and bacteria or new resistant plants; discovering mechanisms of resistance is useful for their implementation in susceptible but more profitable species or varieties, phytochemicals, etc. Significant progress has been made in understanding plant–nematode interactions. This knowledge has allowed the development of innovative biological control strategies that can reduce nematode populations with no environmental or health impacts.

The aim of this Special Issue includes research on the identification and characterization of novel biological control methods, knowledge of the mechanisms underlying their efficacy, and the exploitation of integrated management approaches that combine biological controls with practices regularly used like crop rotations, tillage, etc.

The scope of this Special Issue includes a wide range of topics like the evaluation of the efficacy and persistence of biological control agents under field conditions; the development of biocontrol products and formulations for commercial use; the isolation and characterization of fungus and bacteria with the potential for biological control; the isolation and application of phytochemicals; and knowledge of the mechanisms of action of new control methods for PPN and many others that that are non-toxic to non-target organisms and which improve biodiversity and soil quality.

Cutting-edge research in the field of the biological control of PPN involves the use of advanced techniques, for example, metagenomics, to explore the diversity of soil microbiomes associated with plants and nematodes and metabolomics to explore the improvement of crops with more quality to help small farmers. Exploiting the synergistic effects of combining different biological control agents or integrating biological controls with other approaches is also of great interest.

For this Special Issue, original and high-quality research articles that contribute to the understanding of the biological control of PPN are welcome. Submissions are encouraged that report new findings on the identification, characterization, and utilization of biological control agents, as well as those that explore the mechanisms underlying their efficacy; this includes practical aspects of biological control implementation, such as their formulation and development, field trials, and integration with other pest management strategies.

Prof. Dr. Isabel Conceição
Prof. Dr. Maria José Cunha
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 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. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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
  • biocontrol
  • phytochemicals
  • metagenomics
  • metabolomics

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 6496 KiB  
Article
An Exploration of the Chemical Signals and Neural Pathways Driving the Attraction of Meloidogyne incognita and Caenorhabditis elegans to Favorable Bacteria
by Xunda Qin, Wuqin Wang, Chonglong Wei, Hao Cen, Liping Deng, Dandan Tan, Minghe Mo and Li Ma
Agronomy 2025, 15(3), 590; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15030590 - 27 Feb 2025
Viewed by 303
Abstract
Root-knot nematodes (RKNs: Meloidogyne sp.) are among the most devastating plant pathogens. Their chemotaxis-driven host-seeking activity is critical for RKNs’ infection success. Using attractants derived from bacterial volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) to interrupt the host-seeking is promising for the management of RKNs. However, [...] Read more.
Root-knot nematodes (RKNs: Meloidogyne sp.) are among the most devastating plant pathogens. Their chemotaxis-driven host-seeking activity is critical for RKNs’ infection success. Using attractants derived from bacterial volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) to interrupt the host-seeking is promising for the management of RKNs. However, little is known about how BVOCs contribute to the attractiveness of RKNs. Here, we provide a first evaluation of the attractive potential of taxonomically diverse bacteria from different environments and assemble a previously unidentified repertoire of bi-attractive bacteria to M. incognita and Caenorhabditis elegans. We found that the attraction strength of the preferred bacteria to the nematodes was positively correlated with the abundance and amounts of ketones in the BVOC profiles. This suggested that ketones are key for BVOC-mediated attraction. In our behavioral experiments using ketone compounds, we provide evidence that the attractiveness of the nematodes to the preferred bacteria arises specifically from ketone odor cues, a phenomenon not reported previously. This study demonstrates for the first time that a specific ketone blend naturally occurring within the BVOC profiles from the preferred bacteria serves as a key odorant regulating their enhanced attraction toward the nematodes. We used genetic methods to show that the AWCON neurons are important for worms to sense the ketones derived from the preferred bacteria and drive attraction to these bacteria. Our study may serve as a platform for a better understanding of the chemical and neuronal basis for ketone-mediated bacteria–nematode interactions and the development of new BVOCs as attractants in RKNs’ management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress and Innovations in Biological Control of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes)
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21 pages, 5838 KiB  
Article
In Silico Characterization of GmbHLH18 and Its Role in Improving Soybean Cyst Nematode Resistance via Genetic Manipulation
by Shuo Qu, Shihao Hu, Miaoli Zhang, Gengchen Song, Fang Liu, Weili Teng, Yuhang Zhan, Yongguang Li, Haiyan Li, Xue Zhao and Yingpeng Han
Agronomy 2025, 15(3), 574; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15030574 - 26 Feb 2025
Viewed by 342
Abstract
Soybean is crucial to food processing and agricultural output. However, pests and diseases can easily impact soybeans, reducing their production. Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is a soilborne pathogen that has a large geographic range, a long lifespan, and the potential to inflict substantial [...] Read more.
Soybean is crucial to food processing and agricultural output. However, pests and diseases can easily impact soybeans, reducing their production. Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is a soilborne pathogen that has a large geographic range, a long lifespan, and the potential to inflict substantial harm to the soybean industry. Persistent use of major resistance genes leads to a progressive loss of resistance; therefore, continuous identification of new soybean strains and genes is essential for continued sustainable soybean production. In this research, the SCN-resistant and SCN-sensitive germplasm DN-L10 and Heinong 37 were inoculated with SCN 3. After stress treatment, the stressed roots were collected for RNA-Seq analysis. The sequencing results screened out the differentially expressed gene GmbHLH18. The GmbHLH18 gene was cloned, and the overexpression vector pCAMBIA3300-GmbHLH18 was constructed. Agrobacterium infected soybean hairy roots and genetically modified the roots of DN50 soybeans, and transgenic root seedlings were obtained. The transgenically identified root seedlings were transplanted in soil infested with SCN 3, and resistance to root nematodes was determined by magenta staining. The secondary and tertiary structures of the protein, phosphorylation sites, as well as the hydrophilicity related to the GmbHLH18 gene were analyzed. Subsequently, the recombinant subcellular localization vector pCAMBIA1302-GmbHLH18 was employed. Agrobacterium was injected into tobacco leaves, and organelle-specific expression was observed. Finally, stress resistance-related indexes of the roots of overexpressing plants and WT plants under SCN 3 stress were measured. The results showed that overexpression and subcellular localization vectors were successfully constructed and transformed into Agrobacterium K599 and GV3101, respectively. The encoded protein had 1149 amino acids, a molecular weight of 95.76 kDa, an isoelectric point of 5.04, 60 phosphorylation sites, a tertiary structure of a-helix (36.39%), random coil (53.40%), extended chain (8.64%), and corner (1.57%), and was hydrophilic. The protein that the gene encoded was a nuclear-localized protein, according to the results of subcellular localization analysis. Moreover, the Agrobacterium-induced hairy root test revealed that the number of overexpressed pCAMBIA3300-GmbHLH18 transgenic roots in the unit area of DN50 was substantially lower than in the control group, which at first suggested that the gene had partial resistance to SCN 3. Stress resistance-related indexes suggest that the contents of POD, SOD, and proline in the overexpressing root significantly increase after SCN 3 stress, demonstrating that this gene can enhance the plant’s resistance to the SCN 3 pathogen. Future research could focus on further elucidating the molecular mechanism underlying the gene’s resistance to SCN 3 and exploring its potential application in breeding soybean varieties with enhanced resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress and Innovations in Biological Control of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes)
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