Biological and Integrated Pest Management of Horticulture Crops

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Pest Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 16 November 2025 | Viewed by 531

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Biology and Food Engineering, Chongqing Three Gorges University, Chongqing, China
Interests: soybean cyst nematode; root-knot nematodes; pine wood nematode; host resistance breeding; biological control; integrated management
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Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin 150081, China
Interests: plant engineering; management of plant-parasitic nematodes; nematode–plant interactions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Jilin Provincial Academy of Forestry Science, Changchun 130033, China
Interests: botryosphaeria dothidea; brown rot; poplar canker; fruit disease; postharvest disease

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Horticultural crops play a vital role in global food security, nutritional supply, and sustainable economic development. However, their yield and quality are increasingly threatened by pests, diseases, and invasive species, which not only cause significant yield losses but also lead to over-reliance on chemical pesticides. The overuse of synthetic agrochemicals further exacerbates environmental degradation, pest resistance development, and danger to human health. To address these challenges, sustainable pest management strategies are urgently needed to ensure resilient and eco-friendly horticultural production systems. Integrated pest management (IPM), including cultural practices, biological control, genetic pest control, and targeted pesticide application, represents an innovative approach, supporting sustainable agriculture by integrating multiple strategies to minimize pesticide use while boosting yields and preserving ecological balance. Therefore, this Special Issue aims to highlight horticultural crops’ biological and integrated pest management.

We welcome research articles, reviews, and novel viewpoints providing comprehensive insights on horticultural crops’ biological control and integrated pest management. Articles in the field of nanoemulsions, controlled-release formulations, conservation biological control, and targeted pesticide delivery systems will also be of interest for publication.

Dr. Jingsheng Chen
Dr. Yanfeng Hu
Dr. Limei Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • horticultural crops
  • pest
  • biological control
  • integrated pest management
  • genetic pest control
  • nanoemulsions
  • controlled-release formulations

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

12 pages, 3912 KiB  
Article
A Fast and Sensitive Enzyme-Mediated Duplex Exponential Amplification Method for Field Detection of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus
by Kai Guo, Xinxin Ma, Yiwu Fang, Weijun Duan, Yao Wu, Zhenxin Hu, Weimin Ye and Jianfeng Gu
Horticulturae 2025, 11(6), 602; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11060602 - 28 May 2025
Viewed by 307
Abstract
The pinewood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, is a pathogenic organism that causes pine wilt disease (PWD). To date, several molecular diagnostic methods have been developed; however, rapid, convenient, and inexpensive field diagnostic tools for detecting PWN are still limited. In this study, [...] Read more.
The pinewood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, is a pathogenic organism that causes pine wilt disease (PWD). To date, several molecular diagnostic methods have been developed; however, rapid, convenient, and inexpensive field diagnostic tools for detecting PWN are still limited. In this study, an enzyme-mediated duplex exponential amplification (EmDEA) method for detecting PWN from extracted nematodes or pinewood sawdust was developed and tested. This method comprised an EmDEA molecular test kit, which consisted of freeze-dried enzyme pellets that can be stored at room temperature (approximately 20–25 °C) for one year, a dry block heater, and a portable isothermal fluorescence amplification instrument. The whole procedure was completed within 30 min. The EmDEA assay could detect a single PWN at all life stages from a mixture of other nematode species or from pinewood sawdust. The detection limit was 10 copies (plasmid weight 32.66 ag) or 1/500 of that of a single adult PWN per reaction. Therefore, the EmDEA assay has potential applications in PWN detection in the field, as well as quarantine inspection in international trade. Moreover, modification of primers and probes will allow the rapid identification of other nematode species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological and Integrated Pest Management of Horticulture Crops)
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