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Applied Sciences
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Biological Control and Pesticides in Agriculture: Current Status and Applications
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Biological Control and Pesticides in Agriculture: Current Status and Applications

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2025 | Viewed by 1072

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Magdalena Dziagwa-Becker

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Weed Science, Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation, State Research Institute, 50-540 Wrocław, Poland
Interests: mass spectrometry; chromatography; environmental analysis; pesticides; low-risk pesticides; extraction; primary and secondary metabolites; target analysis
Dr. Marta Oleszek

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Phytochemistry, Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation, State Research Institute, 24-100 Puławy, Poland
Interests: phytochemicals; waste; algae; agriculture; antioxidants; antioxidant activity; plant extracts

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to present the most recent achievements and applications of biological control and pesticides. Biocontrol as a pest control strategy forms the basis of integrated pest management.

There is growing interest in low-risk pesticides, or so called biopesticides, which are certain types of pesticides derived from natural materials such as animals, plants, and bacteria and have attracted attention in pest management in recent decades. They have long been promoted as alternatives to synthetic pesticides but environmental risk assessments should be conducted in order to prove their safety. Due to increased resistance to synthetic pesticides among pests, new bio-based products are promising candidates.

High-quality studies on the use of diverse beneficial organisms in crop protection and food production as well as on new pesticides are most welcome.

This Special Issue is looking for original research articles and reviews that focus on topics including, but not limited to, the following:

- Integrated and biological pest management systems of crops.

- Biopesticides and low-risk pesticides.

- Risk assessment in pesticide applications.

- Sustainable farming using biological control.

- Phytochemicals as effective pesticides and antifungal and herbicidal agents.

- New solutions for microbial and RNA-based pesticides.

Dr. Magdalena Dziagwa-Becker
Dr. Marta Oleszek
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. Applied Sciences 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 2400 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

  • pesticides
  • plant protection products
  • herbicides
  • pests
  • biological agent
  • integrated pest management
  • biopesticides
  • low-risk pesticides
  • environmental risk assessment
  • biological control
  • sustainability

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 2088 KiB  
Article
Organochlorine Contaminants in Maize Fertilized with Meat and Bone Meal Derived from Animal By-Products
by Arkadiusz Stępień, Katarzyna Wojtkowiak, Ewelina Kolankowska and Renata Pietrzak-Fiećko
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(10), 5620; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15105620 - 17 May 2025
Viewed by 330
Abstract
Despite the fact that organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were banned many years ago, their residues are still present in the natural environment and pose a potential health risk to humans and animals. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of meat and bone [...] Read more.
Despite the fact that organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were banned many years ago, their residues are still present in the natural environment and pose a potential health risk to humans and animals. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of meat and bone meal (1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 t ha−1 MBM) derived from animal by-products and used as fertilizer on the content of γ-HCH (γ-hexachlorocyclohexane), DDT (1,1,1-Trichloro-bis-2,2 [4-chlorophenyl]-ethane) and its metabolites (DDD, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane and DDE, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene) in MBM, soil, and maize grain. A long-term small-area field experiment with MBM applied to maize grown in monoculture was conducted at the Agricultural Experiment Station in Tomaszkowo, Poland (53°71′ N, 20°43′ E) from 2014 to 2017. The concentration of γ-HCH in soil decreased gradually, whereas the levels of DDT and its metabolites continued to increase in successive years of the experiment. A minor increase in DDT accumulation in maize grain was also observed, particularly in treatments supplied with mineral fertilizers. Meat and bone meal affected grain contamination levels, and the highest MBM rates decreased the content of DDT metabolites in grain. The results of the study suggest that MBM could be a secondary source of OCPs in the agricultural environment and that their availability to plants varies depending on soil parameters and weather conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Control and Pesticides in Agriculture: Current Status and Applications)
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Review

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28 pages, 2738 KiB  
Review
Metal Organic Frameworks for Smart Storage and Delivery of Aromatic Volatiles and Essential Oils in Agrifood
by Giasemi K. Angeli, Marianna I. Kotzabasaki and Chrysanthos Maraveas
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(10), 5479; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15105479 - 14 May 2025
Viewed by 548
Abstract
Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are a unique family of tailor-made porous materials that have gained significant attention for their properties and their applications in various fields, including agriculture and agrifood. The aim of this review is to explore the potential of MOFs as [...] Read more.
Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are a unique family of tailor-made porous materials that have gained significant attention for their properties and their applications in various fields, including agriculture and agrifood. The aim of this review is to explore the potential of MOFs as smart carriers and delivery mediums of essential oils (EOs) and/or aromatic volatiles. Emphasis is given to their potential to be applied in crop protection and fresh food preservation. MOFs indeed present highly promising physicochemical characteristics in order to be applied in such sectors. To name a few, their high surface area, tunable porosity, and customizable functionalities, make them ideal carriers for EOs, which are established for their antimicrobial properties but their wider practical applications are limited by their volatility and chemical sensitivity. The encapsulation of EOs in MOFs enhances their stability, controlled release, and bioavailability, providing effective solutions for sustainable agriculture and food safety. Furthermore, in this review we discuss various MOF types, emphasizing the most recent literature references, including cyclodextrin-based MOFs, Cu2+ based MOFs, Zn2+ based MOFs as well as Zr4+ MOFs. In this work, we attempt to highlight the interactions and physicochemical characteristics (e.g., pore size and pore functionality), that contribute to the encapsulation of different EOs within MOFs. We focus on a detailed discussion of the external stimuli that can trigger the targeted release of EOs, such as pH changes caused by pathogenic microbial activity. Additionally, we examine the potential benefits of the EOs encapsulation in MOFs, including the reduction of premature evaporation due to their volatile nature and their improved delivery to targeted sites. These aspects are explored within the frameworks’ food safety enhancement, extended shelf life and the promotion of sustainable food preservation alternatives. Furthermore, we address MOFs’ limitations such as biocompatibility, scalability and chemical stability under field conditions to further comprehend their potential as EO carriers in agrifood applications, emphasizing food preservation and protection. Finally, this work aims to contribute to global challenges in nutrition and sustainable agriculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Control and Pesticides in Agriculture: Current Status and Applications)
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