Envisioning the Future of Conservation Biological Control in Crop Protection

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 May 2023) | Viewed by 2427

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: biological pest control; integrated pest control

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Broad-spectrum chemical pesticides are often toxic to nontarget beneficial and endangered species, to wildlife, and to humans. Many chemical pesticides are no longer available due to their side-effects and registration revocations. Biological control, particularly conservation biological control, can be an extremely important alternative to widespread pesticide use as well as a significant component of sustainable agriculture. The goal of this Special Issue is to publish original research and review articles on theories and technologies of conservation biological control in plant protection. We will highlight current research on the conservation of natural enemies to demonstrate its potential and utility in pest management scenarios. The main scope includes the innovative tactics and approaches to manipulating the environment of natural enemies so as to enhance their survival and/or physiological and behavioral performance, resulting in enhanced effectiveness against arthropods, plant pathogens, nematodes, and weeds. Theory and technology of pest control by manipulating environmental conditions to improve genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity to enhance natural enemy performance. We welcome papers describing the tactics and approaches for the conservation of biological control species effective against arthropods, plant pathogens, nematodes, and weeds.

Prof. Dr. Wang-Peng Shi
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. 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

  • natural enemy conservation
  • environment–natural enemy–pest interactions
  • biodiversity and pest control
  • landscape ecology and pest management
  • agroecosystems and conservation biological control
  • enhanced biocontrol

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.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

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

13 pages, 3895 KiB  
Article
Entomophages of the Colorado Potato Beetle, Population Dynamics of Perillus bioculatus Fabr. and Its Compatibility with Biological and Chemical Insecticides
by Irina Agasyeva, Mariya Nefedova, Vladimir Ismailov and Anton Nastasy
Agronomy 2023, 13(6), 1496; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13061496 - 29 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2167
Abstract
Modern plant biosecurity strategies include the use of a wide range of living organisms regulating the number, development and spread of harmful organisms at an economically safe level. We aimed to study the species composition of entomophages of the Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say and [...] Read more.
Modern plant biosecurity strategies include the use of a wide range of living organisms regulating the number, development and spread of harmful organisms at an economically safe level. We aimed to study the species composition of entomophages of the Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say and their efficiency in pest control. We observed the population dynamics of the stink bug Perillus bioculatus Fabr. and the Colorado potato beetle from 2013 to 2015. Besides, the species composition of entomophages of the Colorado potato beetle in Krasnodar Krai (a region in southwestern Russia) was researched in 2013–2015. The study showed that with a ratio of P. bioculatus: Colorado beetle 1:10–1:15, the efficiency of the entomophage is about 98%. In addition to P. bioculatus, there are other insects that feed on the Colorado potato beetle. Among them, it is worth noting Zicrona caerulea L., Polistes gallicus L., representatives of the Coccinellidae family, etc. The food base and parasitic activity of scelionid ovi-eaters and phasia flies are the main biotic factors influencing the number of predatory bugs. The possibility of combined use of P. bioculatus and preparations of biological origin was studied. The survival rate of adult P. bioculatus under the use of insecticides based on Bacillus thuringiensis var. thuringiensis and Streptomyces avermitilis (ex., Burg et al.) Kim and Goodfellow was 97% and 91%; that of older nymphs—58% and 52%, respectively. Chemical preparations destroyed all age stages of the predator. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop