Sustainable Management of Arthropod Pests in Agriculture

A special issue of Arthropoda (ISSN 2813-3323).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2025) | Viewed by 1493

Special Issue Editors

Department of Biological Sciences, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL 36104, USA
Interests: insect-plant interaction; toxicology; genomics
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Guest Editor
Department of Biological Sciences, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL 36104, USA
Interests: urban entomology; integrated pest management; plant-insect interaction; chemical ecology of insects
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Interests: arthropod structural biology; enzymology; stress signaling; xenobiotic adaptation
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The impacts of climate change, resistance development, and other environmental challenges have made arthropod pests an increasingly significant threat to crops and agricultural products. Developing sustainable management strategies to combat these pests is crucial for minimizing economic losses. Effective pest management requires a thorough understanding of the mechanisms via which insects develop resistance to synthetic chemicals and plant-produced secondary metabolites. Combining this knowledge with targeted and appropriate field control strategies forms the foundation of sustainable pest management. Key approaches, including Integrated Pest Management (IPM), Integrated Crop Management (ICM), and Integrated Resistance Management (IRM), offer effective solutions for pest control and protect non-target organisms, such as pollinators, while reducing environmental contamination.

This Special Issue will facilitate the exchange of knowledge on sustainable management practices and foster innovation in agricultural arthropod pest control. We welcome cutting-edge research contributions, including original studies and comprehensive reviews, in areas such as biological control, advanced pest monitoring systems, gene drive and resistance breeding technologies, artificial intelligence-based analyses, and other innovative approaches.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Agronomy.

Dr. Ting Li
Dr. Olufemi Ajayi
Dr. Fang (Rose) Zhu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • arthropod pests
  • sustainable management
  • crop protection
  • climate change
  • resistance development
  • biological control
  • artificial intelligence
  • genome editing

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 3102 KB  
Article
Unlocking Industry Views for Effective Redlegged Earth Mite Resistance Management
by Elizabeth C. Lowe, Luis Mata, Michael Santhanam-Martin, Leo McGrane, Jessica C. Lye and Paul A. Umina
Arthropoda 2026, 4(1), 2; https://doi.org/10.3390/arthropoda4010002 - 26 Jan 2026
Viewed by 578
Abstract
Insecticide resistance is a growing threat to global food security, with several major pests in Australian broad-acre systems already showing high resistance levels. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) can reduce insecticide reliance and slow resistance evolution, yet adoption remains low. Using the redlegged earth [...] Read more.
Insecticide resistance is a growing threat to global food security, with several major pests in Australian broad-acre systems already showing high resistance levels. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) can reduce insecticide reliance and slow resistance evolution, yet adoption remains low. Using the redlegged earth mite (Halotydeus destructor, RLEM) as a case study, we examined how knowledge gaps and risk attitudes influence insecticide use and broader pest management. An online survey of grain growers and advisors in RLEM-affected regions revealed that, despite widespread resistance to synthetic pyrethroids and organophosphates, and most respondents identifying with an IPM mindset, these insecticides remain frequently used. Advisors demonstrated greater overall knowledge than growers, but substantial gaps persisted across both groups, including awareness of field resistance and familiarity with national resistance management guidelines. Risk aversion showed a stronger and more consistent influence on management decisions than knowledge, shaping both growers’ and advisors’ recommendations. These findings highlight demographic and attitudinal factors that can undermine resistance management. While centred on RLEM, the behavioural drivers identified here likely influence pest control decisions across a range of pest species and farming systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Arthropod Pests in Agriculture)
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