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Agronomy
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Recent Trends Towards Genetics-Based Methods for Pest Management in Agroecosystems—Second...
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Recent Trends Towards Genetics-Based Methods for Pest Management in Agroecosystems—Second Edition

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 3382

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Fajun Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Interests: plant-insect relationship; plant resistant to pests; environmental entomology and climate change biology; insect physiology and insect ecology; ecological control of pests
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Lanzhi Han

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Interests: agricultural insects and pest management; environmental risk assessment of GM crops
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The second edition of our Special Issue, titled "Recent Trends towards Genetics-Based Methods for Pest Management in Agroecosystems—Second Edition", is an extension of our first edition, providing space for contributions related to this important branch of pest control. The primary aim of this Special Issue is to provide a platform for the presentation and discussion of the most recent trends in genetic methods for pest control, emphasizing their new applications and potential contributions to integrated pest management (IPM) in the agricultural field.

In the face of the challenges posed by insect pests and the shortcomings of conventional control methods, this edition seeks to shed light on innovative approaches that leverage genetic principles for more effective pest management in agroecosystems. By welcoming and encouraging scientists who are engaged in researching these issues, we hope to gather a collection that contributes to the advancement of genetic methods for pest control. Researchers are invited to share their latest research results to collectively address the evolving landscape of genetic pest management in agroecosystems.

Prof. Dr. Fajun Chen
Dr. Lanzhi Han
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

  • insect-resistant genetically modified crops
  • RNAi and CRISPR/Cas9 editing methods
  • traditional genetic breeding techniques
  • diverse applications of insect-resistant crops
  • genetically sterile techniques for insect pests
  • transgenic insects
  • biopesticides

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1599 KiB  
Article
Epidemiology of Xylella fastidiosa in Ibiza and Formentera: A Comprehensive Study of Insect Vectors and Transmission Dynamics
by Miquel Llompart, Josep Cifre, Diego Olmo, Andreu Juan, Francesc Castellà, Sergio Jiménez and Jordi Sabaté
Agronomy 2025, 15(2), 329; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15020329 - 27 Jan 2025
Viewed by 748
Abstract
Xylella fastidiosa (XF) is a Gram-negative bacterium responsible for severe plant diseases affecting a wide range of host plants, some of them important crops. Since 2017, only the pauca subspecies (ST80) have been identified in Ibiza. XF is naturally transmitted by xylem sap-feeding [...] Read more.
Xylella fastidiosa (XF) is a Gram-negative bacterium responsible for severe plant diseases affecting a wide range of host plants, some of them important crops. Since 2017, only the pauca subspecies (ST80) have been identified in Ibiza. XF is naturally transmitted by xylem sap-feeding insects; among them, only Philaenus spumarius (PS) and Neophilaenus campestris Fallén (NC) have been reported as potential insect vectors for XF in Ibiza. This study aims to investigate the dissemination of XF and to propose effective control strategies. The crops and the surrounding vegetation were sampled for potential vectors. DNA from insects was extracted and amplified by three qPCR methods, allowing subspecies identification. The results confirmed the continuous presence of adults of PS and NC in Ibiza and Formentera from May to December with important populations. During the summer period, PS captures predominantly took place within the surrounding woody vegetation adjacent to the plots. The main host plant for PS was Pinus halepensis Miller in Ibiza and Juniperus phoenicea subsp. turbinata (Guss.) Nyman in Formentera. In Ibiza, off the total PS captures, 4.47% tested positive for XF. These results confirm that PS is the main vector of XF on these islands, both in terms of captures and the percentage of positive insects for XF. In Formentera, despite the presence of potential vectors and the proximity and contact with Ibiza, no XF-positive insects were found, confirming the absence of the bacterium on the island. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Trends Towards Genetics-Based Methods for Pest Management in Agroecosystems—Second Edition)
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14 pages, 12917 KiB  
Article
The Participation of Trehalose Metabolism in Response to High-Humidity Stress in Megoura crassicauda (Hemiptera: Aphididae)
by Wu Ma, Huiru Si, Sijing Wan, Qinwen Zhan, Yanlan He, Wenjing Zhou, Weiwei Wen, Yuhang Xie, Xiaoling Tan, Sisi Sun and Bin Tang
Agronomy 2024, 14(12), 2958; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14122958 (registering DOI) - 12 Dec 2024
Viewed by 769
Abstract
In the context of climate change, characterized by an increase in average precipitation, agricultural pests have demonstrated enhanced adaptability to high humidity and other challenging environmental conditions, thereby intensifying the need for effective prevention and control measures. Among these pests, Megoura crassicauda (Hemiptera: [...] Read more.
In the context of climate change, characterized by an increase in average precipitation, agricultural pests have demonstrated enhanced adaptability to high humidity and other challenging environmental conditions, thereby intensifying the need for effective prevention and control measures. Among these pests, Megoura crassicauda (Hemiptera: Aphididae) represents a significant threat to both crop yield and quality. The aim of this study was to investigate the physiological behavioral changes and the regulatory mechanisms of trehalose metabolism in M. crassicauda under conditions of high-humidity stress. Additionally, we sought to explore the survival strategies and water regulation mechanisms employed by this insect, with the goal of identifying new biological targets for its management. The findings indicated that, despite an increase in environmental humidity, there was no significant difference in the survival rate of M. crassicauda. However, a reduction in developmental duration and reproductive capacity was observed. Increased humidity correlated with elevated trehalose levels and decreased glycogen content. Notably, although the relative expression levels of trehalase (TRE) and Trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS) were downregulated, Trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase (TPP) expression was upregulated. These results suggest that high humidity environments significantly influence the growth, development, and trehalose metabolism of M. crassicauda. It appears that adaptations to high-humidity conditions in M. crassicauda are facilitated by modulations in the types and distribution of sugars within their bodies, achieved through alterations in the expression of genes associated with trehalose metabolism. In summary, the results of this study indicate that high humidity significantly affects the development and sugar metabolism of M. crassicauda. These changes may represent one of the potential mechanisms underlying its environmental adaptation and migration. This insight provides valuable assistance for predicting the occurrence and migration of the pest M. crassicauda. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Trends Towards Genetics-Based Methods for Pest Management in Agroecosystems—Second Edition)
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12 pages, 2206 KiB  
Article
Deletion of the 3′ End of the Introduced cry1Ac Gene Retains the Insecticidal Activity in Transgenic Cotton
by Chunmeng Huang, Yongjun Zhang, Huilin Yu, Chenhui Hou, Haoyuan Guan, Xiuping Chen and Jiajian Xie
Agronomy 2024, 14(7), 1400; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14071400 - 27 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1115
Abstract
The structure and expression of exogenous genes in transgenic crops are critical for the target traits. R7569 has the same exogenous insertion structure as the transgenic insect-resistant cotton MON531 but with a deletion in the 3′ end of the cry1Ac gene and the [...] Read more.
The structure and expression of exogenous genes in transgenic crops are critical for the target traits. R7569 has the same exogenous insertion structure as the transgenic insect-resistant cotton MON531 but with a deletion in the 3′ end of the cry1Ac gene and the terminator region. Thus, in the present study, transcription, expression, and insecticidal activity assays were conducted to determine the function of the truncated cry1Ac gene. R7569 has a truncated cry1Ac gene with a length of 2554 bp encoding 881 amino acids, and the transcription termination site was mainly concentrated downstream of the truncated position and extended 160–270 bp from the truncated position using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The transcript levels of the cry1Ac gene in R7569 were significantly higher than those of MON531 implants, except for during the boll stage. The content of the Cry1Ac protein in R7569 was higher than that of MON531 in the cotton leaf in all three periods. The corrected mortality rates of R7569 and MON531 against bollworms were 93.09% and 88.83%, respectively. The LC50 value of R7569 was 0.732 ng/g (dw), indicating a high level of resistance to bollworm. In this study, for the first time, we found a partial deletion of the target gene in commercially applied transgenic crops, and the partial deletion of the 3′ end of the cry1Ac gene retained a better transcription, expression level, and insecticidal activity, which can provide a specific case for the safety evaluation of transgenic crops. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Trends Towards Genetics-Based Methods for Pest Management in Agroecosystems—Second Edition)
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