Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
7.6
4.1
Journals
Plants
Special Issues
Bio-Control of Plant Pathogens and Pests
share announcement

Bio-Control of Plant Pathogens and Pests

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 December 2026 | Viewed by 892

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Sumit Jangra

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center, Homestead, FL 33031, USA
Interests: molecular breeding; molecular diagnostics; virus–vector relationship; cell culture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Crop productivity is significantly limited by plant diseases and insect pests, either by reducing the yield or increasing the production cost. While agricultural chemicals are widely used to address these challenges, their incessant use is associated with human and environmental hazards. These concerns are further amplified by the urgent need to ensure global food security for a rapidly growing population, while maintaining ecological balance. Consequently, the demand for sustainable disease and pest management strategies has increased markedly. Biological control measures are emerging as prominent alternatives to chemical-based control. Many of these strategies have demonstrated success in sustainably managing pests and diseases, offering the potential to reduce reliance on chemical inputs and mitigate associated issues such as environmental pollution and the evolution of resistant pest and pathogen populations.  

This Special Issue invites original research articles, reviews, and short communications encompassing all aspects of biological control, including the use of microbes and their metabolites, natural enemies and parasitoids, and integrated pest and disease management.

Dr. Sumit Jangra
Guest Editor

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. 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

  • biological control of disease and pest
  • anti-microbial peptides
  • microbial volatile compounds
  • bioactive compounds
  • natural enemies
  • parasitoids
  • integrated pest and disease management

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

21 pages, 867 KB  
Article
Management of Chilli Anthracnose Using Garcinia atroviridis Nanoemulsions Integrated with Trichoderma harzianum
by Yasmeen Siddiqui
Plants 2026, 15(8), 1214; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15081214 - 15 Apr 2026
Abstract
Chilli is a major horticultural crop in tropical and subtropical regions that contributes substantially to the global culinary and economic sectors. However, anthracnose remains one of the most destructive diseases, causing severe losses in both field and stored fruits. Current management strategies offer [...] Read more.
Chilli is a major horticultural crop in tropical and subtropical regions that contributes substantially to the global culinary and economic sectors. However, anthracnose remains one of the most destructive diseases, causing severe losses in both field and stored fruits. Current management strategies offer limited long-term effectiveness, highlighting the need for sustainable alternatives. This study developed nanoemulsions (NEs) from Garcinia atroviridis fruit extract and evaluated their biocontrol potential against Colletotrichum capsici alone and in combination with Trichoderma harzianum. Two formulations, NE4 and NE7, exhibited good thermostability without phase separation at 25 and 54 °C, with droplet sizes of 135.1 and 124.1 nm, respectively, and were non-phytotoxic to chilli seedlings. In vitro, the nanoemulsions significantly suppressed C. capsici mycelial growth (62%) compared to the crude extract. Under rain shelter conditions, NE integrated with T. harzianum (T7 and T8) was highly effective in delaying disease onset and reducing disease severity, achieving 90.07% and 88.37% relative disease reduction, respectively. These treatments also produced the highest marketable yields, comparable to the synthetic fungicide Dithane M-45® (2 g L−1). In contrast, the untreated control group exhibited an 83% yield loss. The results indicate that nanoemulsions of G. atroviridis fruit extract, particularly when combined with T. harzianum, offer a promising and sustainable biological control option for managing pre-harvest chilli anthracnose. Their incorporation into integrated pest management programmes may reduce dependence on chemical fungicides and support safer chilli production systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Control of Plant Pathogens and Pests)
17 pages, 3748 KB  
Article
In Silico Screening of Plant-Derived Termiticidal Compounds Targeting Cytochrome P450 in Coptotermes spp. (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) for Sustainable Termite Management
by Deepak Kumar Mahanta, Tanmaya Kumar Bhoi and Sumit Jangra
Plants 2026, 15(4), 581; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15040581 - 12 Feb 2026
Viewed by 463
Abstract
Termites of the genus Coptotermes are among the most destructive structural pests worldwide, owing to their efficient lignocellulose degradation and metabolic adaptability mediated in part by cytochrome P450 enzymes. Although numerous botanical compounds have been reported to exhibit termiticidal activity, mechanistic in silico [...] Read more.
Termites of the genus Coptotermes are among the most destructive structural pests worldwide, owing to their efficient lignocellulose degradation and metabolic adaptability mediated in part by cytochrome P450 enzymes. Although numerous botanical compounds have been reported to exhibit termiticidal activity, mechanistic in silico studies targeting detoxification-related enzymes in Coptotermes, particularly cytochrome P450, remain limited. In this study, twenty-eight plant-derived bioactive compounds were evaluated using an integrated in silico framework comprising insecticide likeness screening, molecular docking, toxicity prediction, environmental fate assessment, and molecular dynamics simulation. Homology modeling enabled structural characterization of cytochrome P450 from C. formosanus, and subsequent screening identified 27 compounds with favorable physicochemical and ADMET properties. Molecular docking analysis highlighted Glyceollin, Cnicin, Biochanin A, Ferruginol, and ent-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid as strong binders, exhibiting stable interactions with conserved active-site residues. Toxicological and ecological assessments indicated generally low predicted risk to mammals, birds, and pollinators, while identifying potential sensitivity in aquatic organisms, emphasizing the need for controlled application. Molecular dynamics simulations further supported the stabilizing effect of Glyceollin on cytochrome P450 under simulated conditions. Overall, the study provides mechanistic insight into botanical inhibition of cytochrome P450 in Coptotermes and identifies promising candidate compounds for further experimental validation in sustainable termite management strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Control of Plant Pathogens and Pests)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop