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
Strategies for Sustainable Innovative Crop Pest Management
share announcement

Strategies for Sustainable Innovative Crop Pest Management

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 January 2026 | Viewed by 1300

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. József Kiss

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Integrated Plant Protection, Plant Protection Institute, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences MATE, 2100 Godollo, Hungary
Interests: integrated pest management; crop protection; plant protection

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Agriculture faces pressing challenges, such as providing people with safe food, feed, and ecosystem services (pest regulation, pollination, biodiversity, genetic resources, water and soil quality, etc.) and ensuring income generation for farmers. At the same time, we need to reduce our reliance on chemical pesticides to manage new/invading/emerging pests. Addressing these issues demands innovative solutions that harmonize agricultural productivity with global health. This Special Issue invites cutting-edge and upscaling research results on sustainable pest management (all harmful organisms, pathogens, weeds, and animals), positioning plants as central components in agroecosystem resilience.

We emphasize the multiple roles of plants as providers of ecosystem services (e.g., food, feed, natural, botanical diversity, and pest suppression) or inadvertent disservices (e.g., the spread of pests). Their genetic, compositional, and ecological diversity underpins agroecological strategies such as intercropping, habitat diversification, and plant–microbe synergies, reducing reliance on chemical pesticides. Submissions should explore novel approaches and management solutions, including AI-driven monitoring, new genomic technics-based options, plant-derived biopesticides aligned with integrated pest management (IPM) frameworks, etc.

We also welcome the submission of inter/multi/transdisciplinary studies bridging plant science with entomology, phytopathology, weed management, and socioeconomics to design scalable, farmer-centric solutions from field to farm and the landscape level. By uniting theory, practice, and policy, we aim to advance sustainable pest management for resilient agriculture and safeguard food security.

Prof. Dr. József Kiss
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

  • crop protection
  • pest management
  • environment friendly
  • sustainable agriculture

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

16 pages, 1345 KB  
Article
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Enhance the Insecticidal Activity of Annona muricata L. Leaves
by Angela Michelle González-López, Evangelina Esmeralda Quiñones-Aguilar, Jhony Navat Enríquez-Vara, José Alejandro Martínez-Ibarra and Gabriel Rincón-Enríquez
Plants 2025, 14(22), 3501; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14223501 - 17 Nov 2025
Viewed by 544
Abstract
Annona muricata (soursop) produces secondary metabolites with antimicrobial and insecticidal properties. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are known to enhance the production of secondary metabolites in medicinal plants. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the insecticidal activity of ethanolic leaf extracts from AMF-colonized [...] Read more.
Annona muricata (soursop) produces secondary metabolites with antimicrobial and insecticidal properties. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are known to enhance the production of secondary metabolites in medicinal plants. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the insecticidal activity of ethanolic leaf extracts from AMF-colonized soursop trees against the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) and the triatomine bug Triatoma pallidipennis, a vector of Chagas disease. Ethanolic leaf extracts were obtained from trees inoculated with two AMF consortia (Cerro del Metate and Agua Dulce), with the species Rhizophagus intraradices and Funneliformis mosseae, and from non-mycorrhizal plants (SM). Extracts were tested in bioassays specific to each insect, including chemical and negative controls, and survival was analyzed using Kaplan–Meier curves. Extracts from plants colonized by F. mosseae exhibited insecticidal activity against S. frugiperda, causing 72% larval mortality, comparable to that of the commercial insecticide. In contrast, extracts from plants inoculated with the Agua Dulce consortium caused 65% mortality in T. pallidipennis adults. These extracts showed significantly higher annonacin content (µg·g−1 DW). Overall, the results demonstrate that AMF colonization can enhance the synthesis of metabolites such as annonacins and contribute to increased insecticidal activity in A. muricata. Our findings suggest AMF-assisted cultivation has the potential to enhance botanical insecticides. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategies for Sustainable Innovative Crop Pest Management)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 2200 KB  
Article
NeemAzal®-T/S Can Trigger Early Defense Responses in Susceptible Sunflower Seedlings Inoculated with Plasmopara halstedii: An Approach Based on the Enzymatic ROS Scavenging System
by Kevein Ruas Oliveira, Katalin Körösi, Balazs Barna, Rita Bán, Sarita Jane Bennett and Priscila Lupino Gratão
Plants 2025, 14(22), 3481; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14223481 - 14 Nov 2025
Viewed by 577
Abstract
Downy mildew, caused by Plasmopara halstedii, is a major threat to sunflower production worldwide, leading to severe yield losses. Since resistance in sunflower hybrids can be easily broken by the pathogen, it is important to find alternative and sustainable control methods against [...] Read more.
Downy mildew, caused by Plasmopara halstedii, is a major threat to sunflower production worldwide, leading to severe yield losses. Since resistance in sunflower hybrids can be easily broken by the pathogen, it is important to find alternative and sustainable control methods against this disease. This study investigated the potential use of NeemAzal®-T/S (a neem-based biopesticide formulation) to induce antioxidant defense responses in sunflower seedlings inoculated with P. halstedii (pathotype 704). Its effects, alone, or in combination with a reduced dose of Mefenoxam, were evaluated under controlled conditions. Plant height, sporulation, antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, CAT, APX, POX, and PPO), lipid peroxidation (MDA), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) contents were measured. Our results indicate that the antioxidant responses of seedlings varied according to the treatment. MDA levels decreased even when NeemAzal®-T/S was applied alone, while H2O2 production only decreased when both treatments were applied combined. Overall, NeemAzal®-T/S can be a valuable alternative strategy to help control sunflower downy mildew, since it reduced sporulation and MDA content, and increased APX, POX, and PPO activities even at a later stage of infection in susceptible seedlings. These findings indicate that NeemAzal®-T/S can activate defense mechanisms associated with oxidative stress reduction in sunflower, offering a promising strategy to help manage downy mildew in a more sustainable manner. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategies for Sustainable Innovative Crop Pest Management)
►▼ 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