Biotechnological Advances in Biopesticides for Integrated 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: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 36
Special Issue Editors
Interests: essential oils; volatile organic compounds; bioinsecticides
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: pest management; biopesticides; chemical ecology; quarantine pests; essential oils
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The intensification of agriculture over the past decades has relied heavily on synthetic chemical pesticides to safeguard crop yields. While effective, their extensive use has raised significant concerns regarding environmental contamination, pest resistance development, biodiversity loss, and risks to human health. These challenges highlight the urgent need for safer and more sustainable alternatives.
Biopesticides—derived from microorganisms, plants, natural compounds, and novel biotechnological tools—represent a promising solution. Unlike conventional synthetic pesticides, biopesticides are typically more target-specific, biodegradable, and compatible with ecological balance. They not only reduce chemical residues in food and the environment but also play a crucial role in integrated pest management (IPM) strategies, where multiple approaches are combined for long-term sustainability.
Recent biotechnological approaches have enhanced the performance of biopesticides by improving their stability, persistence, and delivery in agricultural systems. Advances such as the development of nano-formulations for controlled release, the encapsulation of bioactive natural compounds into protective matrices, and the optimization of microbial strains through bioprocess engineering have expanded the efficacy and reliability of plant- and microbe-derived products. These innovations strengthen the role of biopesticides as sustainable tools, positioning them within the broader framework of next-generation crop protection strategies.
This Special Issue will focus on recent biotechnological innovations that enhance the development and application of biopesticides within Integrated Pest Management (IPM) frameworks. Contributions are invited that highlight microbial, molecular, and nano-enabled approaches to sustainable pest control, combining fundamental research and field-level applications.
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
- biopesticides
- microbial biopesticides
- plant-derived biopesticides
- nanotechnology
- bioactive compounds
- integrated pest management (IPM)
- pest control
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