Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Phytoecdysteroids (PHYs) and Other Modern Solutions as a Promising Strategy in Modern Pest and Disease Management: Obvious Benefits and Risks

Dear Colleagues,

Protecting crops against insects/plant pathogens using environmental-friendly practices is a growing concern in Europe. A number of problems have arisen in the past due to the conventional pesticide treatment e.g. repeated and unfocussed use, selecting insect strains resistant to entire families of insecticide molecules, and contaminating and targeting beneficial insects. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) initially meant to replace insecticides, also failed short to receive acceptation from the end-user, at least in Europe. The question arises, if not pesticides and GMOs, what methods will be used to protect plants in agricultural production.

The co-evolution of plants and insects has resulted in a wide array of chemical plant defenses that effectively reduce damage caused by feeding herbivores or plant pathogens. Plants respond to insect-inflicted injury, pathogen infestation or elicitors by systemically releasing relatively large amounts of VOCs and PHYs, what makes them promising candidates for the development of an environmentally safe approach to crop protection. Most of the plant species have the genetic ability to produce VOCs and PHYs, but the biosynthetic pathway is not active and still not recognized.

On the other hand, the pleasant smell of plants caused by VOCs maybe, by coincidence, dangerous to human life. Excessive consumption of non-poisonous fruits or plants (which are associated with a pleasant smell) can, under certain circumstances, lead to disease.

Prof. Dr. Dariusz Piesik
Guest Editor

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