Innovative Plant Protection Strategies for Regenerative and Conservation-Based Horticulture Systems
A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 January 2026 | Viewed by 215
Special Issue Editors
Interests: agricultural entomology; IPM; biological control; insect dispersal; insect biology ecology; agroecology; landscape ecology; sustainable agriculture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: applied entomology; IPM; biological control; biopesticides; agroecology; sustainable agriculture; insect pollinators
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
2. MED—Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE—Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal
Interests: plant pathology; plant virology; molecular diagnosis of plant pathogens; sustainable plant protection; virus-induced gene silencing; gene expression; CRISPR-Cas systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: plant pathology; plant virology; molecular diagnosis of plant pathogens; sustainable plant protection; RNAi; virus-induced gene silencing; siRNAs; gene expression; CRISPR-Cas systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The growing challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, soil degradation, and our unsustainable reliance on chemical inputs are driving agriculture towards more ecologically sound paradigms. Regenerative agriculture and conservation-based horticultural practices are gaining recognition due to their potential to restore soil health, enhance biodiversity, and support ecosystem resilience. However, their implications for plant protection, particularly in managing pests, diseases, and weeds, remains underexplored. Plant protection in regenerative horticultural systems calls for innovative, ecologically compatible strategies. These approaches move beyond conventional chemical control and include habitat management, agroecology approaches, biological control, plant–microbe interaction, ecological engineering and landscape-level planning. Furthermore, emerging tools such as digital agriculture, precision farming technologies, and remote sensing applications offer great potential to support plant protection in sustainable systems. These tools can help monitor crop health, detect pest outbreaks, optimize input use, and guide decision-making in real time, with minimal ecological disruption. This Special Issue aims to increase our understanding of appropriate approaches for managing crop pests, diseases, and weeds in regenerative and conservation-oriented horticultural systems. We welcome original research, reviews, and case studies focusing on horticultural crops, whether in open-field, greenhouse, urban, or peri-urban environments. Contributions on plant pathology, entomology, weed science, soil biology, agroecology, digital agriculture, and landscape ecology are encouraged.
Suggested topics for the Special Issue:
- Biological and microbial control approaches in horticultural crops;
- Soil health and disease suppressiveness in horticulture;
- Crop cover crops and rotations for pest and disease management in horticulture systems;
- Conservation of natural enemies through landscape management in horticulture ;
- Agroecological design and functional biodiversity in horticulture systems;
- Plant–microbiome interactions and induced resistance in horticulture crops;
- Development and use of pest- and disease-resistant horticultural cultivars;
- Biotechnology innovations supporting sustainable horticultural protection;
- Socioeconomic and policy aspects of plant protection in horticulture;
- Transition case studies from conventional to regenerative horticultural practices ;
- Applications of precision horticulture in plant protection;
- Remote sensing for early detection of pests in horticultural systems;
- Digital agriculture tools for real-time monitoring in regenerative horticulture.
Dr. Filipe Madeira
Prof. Dr. Elisabete Figueiredo
Dr. Carla Varanda
Dr. Patrick Materatski
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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. Horticulturae 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 2200 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
- horticultural crops
- plant protection
- integrated pest management
- biological control
- agroecology
- soil health
- functional biodiversity
- regenerative horticulture
- conservation horticulture
- precision horticulture
- remote sensing in horticulture
- digital tools for pest management in horticulture
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