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Emerging Topics in Botanical Biopesticides—2nd Edition
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Emerging Topics in Botanical Biopesticides—2nd Edition

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Protection and Biotic Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 11032

Special Issue Editors

Dr. María Paula Zunino

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal, Concejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Cátedra de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba 5016, Argentina
Interests: essential oil; terpenes; insects; volatile organic compounds; bioactivity; repellence; antifungal compounds; botanical pesticides; economic analysis; legislation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Maria Liza López

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CONICET-Estación Experimental Agropecuaria INTA San Juan, San Juan, Argentina
Interests: pest management; biopesticides; chemical ecology; quarantine pests; essential oils
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The increase in world population and advances in the agricultural industry have contributed to global warming. Additionally, it has been discovered that pests can grow in abundance and generate resistance to applied synthetic pesticides. Each year, herbivorous insects and phytopathogenic fungi destroy up to a fifth of the world's agricultural production. This increase in the population of pest insects is also due to human-manipulated habitats, where crops are selected and grouped in one confined area. In this way, it not only favours the needs of humans but also those of phytophagous organisms. Above all, these pests can widely proliferate in tropical and subtropical regions due to climatic conditions.

Many plants produce secondary metabolites that have evolved along with the development of insects, and they have various defence functions against phytophagous insects. Many of these natural products are useful as insecticides, fungicides, and manipulators of insect behaviour. Furthermore, these compounds are safe for the environment and human health. Secondary plant metabolites, especially essential oils or their components, could be a natural source for the design of biopesticides. On the other hand, biological interactions, such as those between plants and microorganisms, are a source of new natural products that can be used to control and manage insect pests. It is also important to be familiar with the regulations and legislation that may exist or arise as these new products are applied. Finally, it is important to consider economic aspects, such as the cost of production and storage, arising from using these new botanical pesticides. Nowadays, essential oils already have an international market and cultivation areas. That is why this Special Issue will instead be dedicated to using natural compounds to manage agricultural pests.

Dr. María Paula Zunino
Dr. Maria Liza López
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. Plants 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 2700 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

  • essential oils
  • terpenes
  • insect
  • volatile organic compounds
  • bioactivity
  • repellence
  • antifungal compounds
  • botanical pesticides
  • economic analysis
  • legislation.

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 1140 KiB  
Article
Effect of Schinus areira L. Essential Oil on Attraction, Reproductive Behavior, and Survival of Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann
by Flavia Jofré Barud, María Pía Gomez, María Josefina Ruiz, Guillermo Bachmann, Diego Fernando Segura, María Teresa Vera and María Liza López
Plants 2025, 14(5), 794; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14050794 - 4 Mar 2025
Viewed by 552
Abstract
The essential oil (EO) of Schinus areira exhibits a chemical composition dominated by monoterpene and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, with α-phellandrene, limonene, α-pinene, and p-cymene as major constituents. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of S. areira EO on the biology and behavior of [...] Read more.
The essential oil (EO) of Schinus areira exhibits a chemical composition dominated by monoterpene and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, with α-phellandrene, limonene, α-pinene, and p-cymene as major constituents. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of S. areira EO on the biology and behavior of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata, particularly its attraction to the EO and the impact on its reproductive behavior and survival. Females were attracted at the initial choice and the time spent in the arm of the Y-tube olfactometer with the EO was longer, while males were attracted at the final choice, indicating the attractive potential of S. areira EO for both sexes of C. capitata. Within the context of the sterile insect technique (SIT), the better performance of released sterile males allows more copulations with wild females in competition with wild males, increasing the efficacy of the SIT. Exposure of tsl sterile males to the EO did not enhance their sexual competitiveness and increased latency to initiate copulation, indicating potential adverse effects. In addition, in oviposition assays, only a low concentration of the EO stimulated egg-laying on treated substrates, possibly due to the absence of deterrent compounds such as linalool. Finally, the LD50 of the EO was <25 µg/fly for both females and males, at 72 h post-treatment. These findings highlight the potential of EOs as biopesticides that influence the behaviors of C. capitata and emphasize the need for further studies to optimize their application in integrated pest management strategies, including the SIT. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Topics in Botanical Biopesticides—2nd Edition)
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15 pages, 2725 KiB  
Article
Chemical Compositions and Fumigation Effects of Essential Oils Derived from Cardamom, Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton, and Galangal, Alpinia galanga (L.) Willd, against Red Flour Beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)
by Ruchuon Wanna, Parinda Khaengkhan and Hakan Bozdoğan
Plants 2024, 13(13), 1845; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13131845 - 4 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1316
Abstract
This study explores the use of essential oils from cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton) and galangal (Alpinia galanga (L.) Willd) as alternatives to synthetic insecticides for controlling the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst). The chemical compositions of these oils were [...] Read more.
This study explores the use of essential oils from cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton) and galangal (Alpinia galanga (L.) Willd) as alternatives to synthetic insecticides for controlling the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst). The chemical compositions of these oils were analyzed using GC-MS, and their fumigation effects were tested in a vapor-phase bioassay. The experiment followed a factorial design with four types of essential oils, namely, those manually extracted from cardamom leaves (MCL) and galangal leaves (MGL) and those commercially produced from cardamom seeds (CCS) and galangal rhizomes (CGR), at seven concentrations (0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 µL/L air). The manually extracted oils yielded 0.6% from cardamom leaves and 0.25% from galangal leaves. MCL contained 28 components, with eucalyptol (25.2%) being the most abundant, while CCS had 34 components, primarily α-terpinyl acetate (46.1%) and eucalyptol (31.2%). MGL included 25 components, mainly caryophyllene (28.7%) and aciphyllene (18.3%), whereas CGR comprised 27 components, with methyl cis-cinnamate (47.3%) and safrole (19.8%) as the major constituents. The fumigation bioassay results revealed that CGR was the most effective, demonstrating the highest mortality rates of T. castaneum across all the tested periods and concentrations, achieving up to 96% mortality at 168 h with a concentration of 300 µL/L air. Statistical analyses showed significant differences in mortality based on the type and concentration of essential oil, particularly after 96 h. These findings highlight the potential of CGR, with its advantages and differences in chemical composition, as an effective biopesticide against T. castaneum, with increasing efficacy over time and at higher concentrations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Topics in Botanical Biopesticides—2nd Edition)
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21 pages, 4744 KiB  
Article
Effects of Essential Oils on Biological Characteristics and Potential Molecular Targets in Spodoptera frugiperda
by Júlia A. C. Oliveira, Letícia A. Fernandes, Karolina G. Figueiredo, Eduardo J. A. Corrêa, Leonardo H. F. Lima, Dejane S. Alves, Suzan K. V. Bertolucci and Geraldo A. Carvalho
Plants 2024, 13(13), 1801; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13131801 - 29 Jun 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1448
Abstract
Spodoptera frugiperda control methods have proved to be inefficient, which justifies the search for new control measures. In this search for botanical insecticides for controlling S. frugiperda, the following were evaluated: (i) the toxicity of essential oils (EOs) from Cinnamodendron dinisii, [...] Read more.
Spodoptera frugiperda control methods have proved to be inefficient, which justifies the search for new control measures. In this search for botanical insecticides for controlling S. frugiperda, the following were evaluated: (i) the toxicity of essential oils (EOs) from Cinnamodendron dinisii, Eugenia uniflora, and Melaleuca armillaris; (ii) the effect of EOs on life table parameters against S. frugiperda; (iii) the chemical characterization of EOs; and (iv) the in silico interaction of the chemical constituents present in the three EOs with the molecular targets of S. frugiperda. The EO from E. uniflora had the lowest LD50 (1.19 µg of EO/caterpillar). The major compounds bicyclogermacrene (18.64%) in C. dinisii and terpinolene (57.75%) in M. armillaris are highly predicted to interact with the octopamine receptor (OctpR). The compound 1,8-cineole (21.81%) in M. armillaris interacts mainly with a tolerant methoprene receptor (MET) and curzerene (41.22%) in E. uniflora, which acts on the OctpR receptor. Minor compounds, such as nerolidol in C. dinisii and β-elemene in E. uniflora, are highly ranked for multiple targets: AChE, MET, OctpR, and 5-HT1. It was concluded that the EO from E. uniflora negatively affects several biological parameters of S. frugiperda development and is promising as an active ingredient in formulations for controlling this insect pest. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Topics in Botanical Biopesticides—2nd Edition)
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Review

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49 pages, 5210 KiB  
Review
Agricultural Pest Management: The Role of Microorganisms in Biopesticides and Soil Bioremediation
by Alane Beatriz Vermelho, Jean Vinícius Moreira, Ingrid Teixeira Akamine, Veronica S. Cardoso and Felipe R. P. Mansoldo
Plants 2024, 13(19), 2762; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13192762 - 1 Oct 2024
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 6936
Abstract
Pesticide use in crops is a severe problem in some countries. Each country has its legislation for use, but they differ in the degree of tolerance for these broadly toxic products. Several synthetic pesticides can cause air, soil, and water pollution, contaminating the [...] Read more.
Pesticide use in crops is a severe problem in some countries. Each country has its legislation for use, but they differ in the degree of tolerance for these broadly toxic products. Several synthetic pesticides can cause air, soil, and water pollution, contaminating the human food chain and other living beings. In addition, some of them can accumulate in the environment for an indeterminate amount of time. The agriculture sector must guarantee healthy food with sustainable production using environmentally friendly methods. In this context, biological biopesticides from microbes and plants are a growing green solution for this segment. Several pests attack crops worldwide, including weeds, insects, nematodes, and microorganisms such as fungi, bacteria, and viruses, causing diseases and economic losses. The use of bioproducts from microorganisms, such as microbial biopesticides (MBPs) or microorganisms alone, is a practice and is growing due to the intense research in the world. Mainly, bacteria, fungi, and baculoviruses have been used as sources of biomolecules and secondary metabolites for biopesticide use. Different methods, such as direct soil application, spraying techniques with microorganisms, endotherapy, and seed treatment, are used. Adjuvants like surfactants, protective agents, and carriers improve the system in different formulations. In addition, microorganisms are a tool for the bioremediation of pesticides in the environment. This review summarizes these topics, focusing on the biopesticides of microbial origin. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Topics in Botanical Biopesticides—2nd Edition)
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