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Agronomy
Special Issues
Environmentally Friendly Ways to Control Plant Disease
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Environmentally Friendly Ways to Control Plant Disease

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 2040

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Eduardo Alves

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Phytopathology Department, Federal University of Lavras, Lavras 37200-900, Brazil
Interests: plant pathogen interaction; microscopic studies in plant disease; resistance of fungi to fungicides
Prof. Dr. Maria Isabel Balbi Peña

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Agronomy Department, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina, PR, Brazil
Interests: biological control of plant pathogens; plant bacteriology; plant disease management
Prof. Dr. Lijuan Zhou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
Interests: pesticide science; botanical herbicide; plant-derived insecticides and fungicides

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant pathogens represent a significant threat to agriculture, causing up to 20% of global crop yield losses. Conventional breeding techniques alone cannot provide long-term protection, as pathogens can adapt and overcome introduced genetic resistances. As a result, plant disease control has traditionally relied heavily on chemical treatments, which, though effective, can harm human health, animals, and the environment. Moreover, their use can promote the development of resistance in pathogen populations. Therefore, there is a growing demand for crop production alternatives that lead to a reduction in the use of agrochemicals.

In recent years, alternative disease management strategies, including resistance inducers, biological control agents (such as fungi, bacteria, and viruses), and naturally occurring compounds derived from plants or microbes, have been developed. Some of these microbial agents, in addition to controlling plant pathogens and/or inducing resistance in plants, increase plant growth and productivity. These alternatives strategies are becoming increasingly crucial for the future of plant disease management.

The Special Issue titled “Environmentally Friendly Ways to Control Plant Disease” aims to bring together all aspects related to the alternative control of plant diseases from the use of microbial agents, their metabolites, plant-derived products, resistance induction, and other environmentally friendly strategies that can serve as alternatives to agrochemicals.

Researchers are invited to contribute with original research, short communications, reviews, and perspectives on all topics related to alternative plant disease management strategies.

Prof. Dr. Eduardo Alves
Prof. Dr. Maria Isabel Balbi Peña
Prof. Dr. Lijuan Zhou
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

  • alternative control
  • biological control
  • plant disease
  • resistance inducers

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 5048 KiB  
Article
Vitamin C Industrial Byproduct: A Promising Enhancer for Trichoderma harzianum-Driven Biocontrol of Tomato Pathogenic Fungi
by Wenxin Song, Weichao Yang, Hao Sun, Mingfu Gao and Hui Xu
Agronomy 2025, 15(6), 1298; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15061298 - 26 May 2025
Viewed by 392
Abstract
Trichoderma harzianum, a prominent biocontrol microorganism, often exhibits restricted colonization efficiency in nutrient-poor soil, thus reducing its biocontrol effectiveness. This study investigated the impact of vitamin C industrial fermentation byproduct (residue after evaporation, RAE), which is recognized for enhancing plant growth and [...] Read more.
Trichoderma harzianum, a prominent biocontrol microorganism, often exhibits restricted colonization efficiency in nutrient-poor soil, thus reducing its biocontrol effectiveness. This study investigated the impact of vitamin C industrial fermentation byproduct (residue after evaporation, RAE), which is recognized for enhancing plant growth and stress tolerance, on the colonization ability and anti-pathogenic fungi activity of T. harzianum through in vitro and pot experiments. In vitro experiments demonstrated that RAE and its main component (2-keto-L-gulonic acid, 2KGA) significantly enhanced biomass and spore production (41.44% and 158.46% on average) of two T. harzianum strains in an oligotrophic medium (1/5 PDA). In a more nutrient-limited medium (1/10 PDA), RAE significantly increased the inhibition rates of T. harzianum S against Fusarium graminearum, Botrytis cinerea, and Alternaria alternata by 6.12–7.77%. Pot experiments further revealed that, compared with T. harzianum application alone, the combined application of RAE and T. harzianum S, (1) significantly elevated T. harzianum S abundance by 23.77% while significantly reducing B. cinerea abundance by 33.78% in rhizosphere soil; (2) significantly improved the content of soil available phosphorus (147.63%), ammonium nitrogen (60.05%), and nitrate nitrogen (32.19%); and (3) significantly improved the superoxide dismutase activity (17.39%) and fresh weight of tomato plants (130.74%). Correlation analysis revealed that there were significant positive correlations between T. harzianum S abundances/plant biomass and RAE, and significantly negative correlations between B. cinerea abundance and T. harzianum S/plant biomass/peroxidase activity. Collectively, RAE effectively promoted the growth of T. harzianum and pathogen suppression ability, while improving soil fertility and tomato biomass. This study offers novel insights into RAE’s agricultural application for plant disease control while supporting the sustainable development of vitamin C production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmentally Friendly Ways to Control Plant Disease)
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20 pages, 9964 KiB  
Article
An Eco-Friendly Bioformulation Plant Jiaosu Containing Strains with Anti-Oomycete Activity Against Phytophthora infestans
by Peng Xiao, Yuxuan Liu, Yaqi He, Xiaohui Ou, Airong Huang, Chenfei Lu, Zhiming Zhu, Shicheng Liu, Yi Liu, Xinze Zhang, Liting Yang, Lei Shi, Xiaotian Zhang, Dan Song, Yuxin Zhang and Pan Dong
Agronomy 2025, 15(4), 946; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15040946 - 13 Apr 2025
Viewed by 395
Abstract
Late blight, caused by Phytophthora infestans, is one of the most destructive diseases in potato cultivation. Chemical fungicides are currently the primary means of controlling it, but they pose significant issues, including environmental pollution and the development of resistant strains. Plant jiaosu [...] Read more.
Late blight, caused by Phytophthora infestans, is one of the most destructive diseases in potato cultivation. Chemical fungicides are currently the primary means of controlling it, but they pose significant issues, including environmental pollution and the development of resistant strains. Plant jiaosu (PJ), derived from the direct fermentation of various plants, plays a vital part in various fields such as environmental protection, agriculture, daily chemicals, and livestock. This study illustrates that PJ, fermented from lettuce leaves, significantly inhibits the growth of P. infestans. An isolated anti-oomycete bacterium, designated X-1, has 100% homology to Bacillus subtilis in the NCBI database, shown through 16S rDNA sequence analysis. B. Subtilis X-1 effectively inhibits the hyphal growth and sporangia germination of P. infestans, induces morphological changes in the hyphae, and can promote the growth of potato. PJ exerts a synergistic effect with the chemical fungicide Infinito (the main active ingredients are fluopicolide and propamocarb hydrochloride). In summary, this study provides a novel approach for the reutilization of fruit and vegetable waste and offers an environmentally friendly and effective alternative to chemical fungicides for controlling potato late blight. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmentally Friendly Ways to Control Plant Disease)
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22 pages, 10083 KiB  
Article
Biocontrol Potential of Bacillus subtilis A3 Against Corn Stalk Rot and Its Impact on Root-Associated Microbial Communities
by Liming Wang, Shiqi Jia, Yue Du, Hongzhe Cao, Kang Zhang, Jihong Xing and Jingao Dong
Agronomy 2025, 15(3), 706; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15030706 - 14 Mar 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 888
Abstract
Fusarium stalk rot (FSR), a devastating soil-borne disease caused by Fusarium species, severely threatens global maize production through yield losses and mycotoxin contamination. Bacillus subtilis, a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR), has shown potential as a biocontrol agent against soil-borne pathogens, but its [...] Read more.
Fusarium stalk rot (FSR), a devastating soil-borne disease caused by Fusarium species, severely threatens global maize production through yield losses and mycotoxin contamination. Bacillus subtilis, a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR), has shown potential as a biocontrol agent against soil-borne pathogens, but its efficacy and mechanisms against maize FSR remain poorly understood. In this study, an identified strain of B. subtilis A3 was introduced to study its biological control potential against corn stalk rot. The bacteriostatic stability of the biocontrol strain was assessed, revealing that its inhibitory activity against F. graminearum remained consistent over five consecutive generations, indicating robust bacteriostatic stability. The strain also exhibited inhibitory effects on F. verticilliodes, F. proliferalum, and other pathogenic fungi, demonstrating it has broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. Indoor experiments showed that treatment with the biocontrol strain significantly increased plant height, stem diameter, and fresh weight, indicating a positive impact on corn growth. Additionally, the biocontrol strain A3 markedly reduced the lesion length of corn stalk rot, confirming its efficacy in controlling the disease. Field trials demonstrated that the growth of the A3-coated corn seeds was better than the control seeds, the control effect of FSR disease was 45.75%, and the yield increase was 3.6%. Microscopic observations revealed that the biocontrol strain A3 caused the hyphal tips of F. graminearum to swell and exhibit a beaded morphology, inhibiting normal growth. The volatile substances produced by A3 also showed significant antibacterial activity, with the antibacterial spectrum aligning with that of the biocontrol strain. Using headspace solid-phase microextraction and GC-MS, various antibacterial compounds were identified in the volatile substances. Analysis of root-associated microorganisms indicated that A3 significantly changed the microbial community composition. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed that A3-treated plants had fewer edges and lower negative correlations among bacterial communities. This study establishes the strong biocontrol potential of B. subtilis A3 against Fusarium stalk rot in corn, demonstrating its robust bacteriostatic stability, broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, positive impact on plant growth, and significant disease control efficacy, while also revealing its ability to alter root-associated microbial communities. These findings provide a foundation for further research into the mechanism of B. subtilis and its application in field biological control. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmentally Friendly Ways to Control Plant Disease)
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