Pests and Diseases Management Reimagined: Biocontrol Approaches
A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Pest and Disease Management".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 65
Special Issue Editors
Interests: biological control; beneficial insects; predators and parasitoids; integrated and ecological plant protection
Interests: control of field crop pests; control of field vegetable pests; control of stored products pests; IPM; biological control; alternative methods of pest control; agricultural entomology; agricultural zoology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Throughout the 20th century, biocontrol expanded, especially with the rise of integrated pest management, promoting reduced reliance on chemical pesticides. Advances in entomology, phytopathology, microbiology, ecology, and genetics in recent decades have led to more targeted and effective biocontrol strategies, marking a shift toward sustainable and eco-friendly pest and disease management in agriculture.
The Special Issue titled “Pests and Diseases Management Reimagined: Biocontrol Approaches” published in Agronomy (MDPI) focuses on sustainable alternatives to chemical pesticides in agriculture. It aims to explore biocontrol methods (use of natural enemies, like predators, parasitoids, and pathogens) to suppress biotic stresses, enhance plant defense mechanisms, and provide eco-friendly solutions for managing plant pathogens (fungi, bacteria, viruses, etc.) and pests (insects, mites, slugs and snails, rodents, etc.). The Special Issue emphasizes the role of biocontrol agents, such as predators, parasitoids, entomopathogenic and parasitic nematodes, entomopathogenic microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, and other beneficial microbes in promoting plant growth and pests and diseases control. Additionally, it addresses the application of these agents as biofertilizers and biopesticides, acknowledging the current inconsistencies in their field success. The overarching goal is to advance integrated pest and disease management practices that are both effective and environmentally sustainable.
Dr. Elżbieta Wojciechowicz-Żytko
Prof. Dr. Stanislav Trdan
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. Agronomy 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
- biocontrol agents
- predators
- parasitoids
- plant growth-promoting microorganisms
- entomopathogenic microorganisms
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