Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.5
4.0
Journals
Plants
Special Issues
Allelopathy in Agroecosystems
share announcement

Allelopathy in Agroecosystems

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 3941

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Hisashi Kato-Noguchi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Agriculture, Kagawa University, Miki, Kagawa 761-0795, Japan
Interests: allelopathy; allelochemical; chemical interaction; mode of action; momilactone; invasive plant; rice allelopathy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Rensen Zeng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Interests: chemical ecology; plant–insect interactions; plant-induced defense; crop physiological ecology; plant–microbe interactions and allelopathy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Allelopathy, the phenomenon in which plants release biochemicals into the environment to influence neighboring plant growth and development, holds significant importance in agroecosystems. Its implications range from natural plant ecosystems to agricultural landscapes where it plays a pivotal role in processes such as competition, succession, community organization, naturalization, and farming systems.

In recent years, its potential applications in agroecosystems have garnered increasing attention. Researchers have explored its utility in weed management by envisioning a reduction in synthetic chemical inputs and developing allelopathic crop cultivars through genetic manipulation.

This Special Issue aims to delve deeper into the interface between allelopathy and agroecosystems by offering insights into its mechanisms, applications, and implications for sustainable agriculture practices. We invite contributions that elucidate the biochemical and ecological mechanisms unerlying allelopathic interactions while exploring innovative methodologies for studying the potential of allelopathy for integrated weed management and crop improvement. Research articles, reviews, and perspectives are welcomed with an emphasis on uncovering novel insights and methodologies that can advance our understanding of the practical implications of allelopathy in agroecosystems.

Dr. Hisashi Kato-Noguchi
Prof. Dr. Rensen Zeng
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

  • allelopathy
  • allelochemical
  • mode of action
  • crop 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 (4 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

Jump to: Review

23 pages, 2583 KiB  
Article
Pearl Millet Cover Crop Extract Inhibits the Development of the Weed Ipomoea grandifolia by Inducing Oxidative Stress in Primary Roots and Affecting Photosynthesis Efficiency
by Gislaine Cristiane Mantovanelli, Adriano Antônio Silva, Letycia Lopes Ricardo, Fernanda Lima Kagami, Jéssica Dario de Almeida, Mauro Cezar Barbosa, Márcio Shigueaki Mito, Isabela de Carvalho Contesoto, Paulo Vinicius Moreira da Costa Menezes, Gabriel Felipe Stulp, Beatriz Pereira Moreno, Francielli Alana Pereira Valeze, Rubem Silvério de Oliveira Junior, Debora Cristina Baldoqui and Emy Luiza Ishii Iwamoto
Plants 2025, 14(2), 222; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14020222 - 15 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 892
Abstract
The cover crop Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br. (pearl millet) reduces the emergence of weed species in the field through a mechanism that is not fully known. The identification of the allelopathic activity of pearl millet can contribute to the development of no-tillage techniques [...] Read more.
The cover crop Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br. (pearl millet) reduces the emergence of weed species in the field through a mechanism that is not fully known. The identification of the allelopathic activity of pearl millet can contribute to the development of no-tillage techniques to produce crops without or with low doses of herbicides. This issue was investigated by testing the effects of extracts from the aerial parts of pearl millet on the germination and growth of the weeds Bidens pilosa L., Euphorbia heterophylla L., and Ipomoea grandifolia (Dammer) O’Donell under laboratory conditions. The ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) at a concentration of 2000 µg mL−1 was inactive on Bidens pilosa; it inhibited root length (−72%) and seedling fresh weight (−41%) of E. heterophylla, and in I. grandifolia the length of primary root and aerial parts and the fresh and dry weight of seedlings were reduced by 63%, 32%, 25%, and 12%, respectively. In roots of I. grandifolia seedlings, at the initial development stage, EAF induced oxidative stress and increased electrolyte leakage. At the juvenile vegetative stage, a lower concentration of EAF (250 µg mL−1) induced a stimulus in seedling growth (+60% in root length and +23% in aerial parts length) that was associated with increased photosynthetic efficiency. However, at higher concentrations (1000 µg mL−1), it induced the opposite effects, inhibiting the growth of root (−41%) and aerial parts (−25%), with reduced superoxide dismutase activity and photosynthetic efficiency. The stilbenoid pallidol was identified as the main compound in EAF. The allelopathic activity of pearl millet may be attributed, at least in part, to the impairment of energy metabolism and the induction of oxidative stress in weed seedlings, with pallidol possibly involved in this action. Such findings demonstrated that the application of the EAF extract from pearl millet can be a natural and renewable alternative tool for weed control. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Allelopathy in Agroecosystems)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 2853 KiB  
Article
Maize Herbivore-Induced Volatiles Enhance Xenobiotic Detoxification in Larvae of Spodoptera frugiperda and S. litura
by Peng Wang, Qiyue Zeng, Yi Zhao, Xiaomin Sun, Yongqiang Han, Rensen Zeng, Yuanyuan Song, Dongmei Chen and Yibin Lin
Plants 2025, 14(1), 57; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14010057 - 27 Dec 2024
Viewed by 834
Abstract
The release of herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) has been recognized to be an important strategy for plant adaptation to herbivore attack. However, whether these induced volatiles are beneficial to insect herbivores, particularly insect larvae, is largely unknown. We used the two important highly [...] Read more.
The release of herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) has been recognized to be an important strategy for plant adaptation to herbivore attack. However, whether these induced volatiles are beneficial to insect herbivores, particularly insect larvae, is largely unknown. We used the two important highly polyphagous lepidopteran pests Spodoptera frugiperda and S. litura to evaluate the benefit on xenobiotic detoxification of larval exposure to HIPVs released by the host plant maize (Zea mays). Larval exposure of the invasive alien species S. frugiperda to maize HIPVs significantly enhanced their tolerance to all three of the well-known defensive compounds 2,4-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-1,4-benzoxazin-3-one (DIMBOA), chlorogenic acid, and tannic acid in maize and the two commonly used insecticides methomyl and chlorpyrifos. HIPV exposure also improved the larval tolerance of S. litura third instars to chlorogenic and tannic acids. Furthermore, larval exposure to either maize HIPVs or DIMBOA induced the activities of cytochrome P450 enzymes (P450s), glutathione-s-transferase (GST), and carboxylesterase (CarE) in the midguts and fat bodies of the two insects, while the induction was significantly higher by the two components together. In addition, the expression of four genes encoding uridine diphosphate (UDP)-glycosyltransferases (UGT33F28, UGT40L8) and P450s (CYP4d8, CYP4V2) showed similar induction patterns in S. frugiperda. Cis-3-hexen-1-ol, an important component in maize HIPVs, also showed the same functions as maize HIPVs, and its exposure increased larval xenobiotic tolerance and induced the detoxification enzymes and gene expression. Our findings demonstrate that HIPVs released by the pest-infested host plants are conductive to the xenobiotic tolerance of lepidopteran insect larvae. Hijacking the host plant HIPVs is an important strategy of the invasive alien polyphagous lepidopteran pest to counter-defend against the host plant’s chemical defense. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Allelopathy in Agroecosystems)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 4879 KiB  
Article
Mechanism of Action of Fusarium oxysporum CCS043 Utilizing Allelochemicals for Rhizosphere Colonization and Enhanced Infection Activity in Rehmannia glutinosa
by Feiyue Yuan, Fuxiang Qiu, Jiawei Xie, Yongxi Fan, Bao Zhang, Tingting Zhang, Zhongyi Zhang, Li Gu and Mingjie Li
Plants 2025, 14(1), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14010038 - 26 Dec 2024
Viewed by 725
Abstract
Rehmannia glutinosa is an important medicinal herb; but its long-term cultivation often leads to continuous cropping problems. The underlying cause can be attributed to the accumulation of and alterations in root exudates; which interact with soil-borne pathogens; particularly Fusarium oxysporum; triggering disease [...] Read more.
Rehmannia glutinosa is an important medicinal herb; but its long-term cultivation often leads to continuous cropping problems. The underlying cause can be attributed to the accumulation of and alterations in root exudates; which interact with soil-borne pathogens; particularly Fusarium oxysporum; triggering disease outbreaks that severely affect its yield and quality. It is therefore crucial to elucidate the mechanisms by which root exudates induce F. oxysporum CCS043 outbreaks. In this study; the genome of F. oxysporum CCS043 from R. glutinosa’s rhizosphere microbiota was sequenced and assembled de novo; resulting in a 47.67 Mb genome comprising 16,423 protein-coding genes. Evolutionary analysis suggests that different F. oxysporum strains may adapt to the host rhizosphere microecosystem by acquiring varying numbers of specific genes while maintaining a constant number of core genes.The allelopathic effects of ferulic acid; verbascoside; and catalpol on F. oxysporum CCS043 were examined at the physiological and transcriptomic levels. The application of ferulic acid was observed to primarily facilitate the proliferation and growth of F. oxysporum CCS043; whereas verbascoside notably enhanced the biosynthesis of infection-related enzymes such as pectinase and cellulase. Catalpol demonstrated a moderate level of allelopathic effects in comparison to the other two. Furthermore; 10 effectors were identified by combining the genomic data. Meanwhile; it was found that among the effector-protein-coding genes; ChiC; VRDA; csn; and chitinase exhibited upregulated expression across all treatments. The expression patterns of these key genes were validated using qRT-PCR. Transient overexpression of the two effector-encoding genes in detached R. glutinosa leaves provided further confirmation that ChiC (GME8876_g) and csn (GME9251_g) are key effector proteins responsible for the induction of hypersensitive reactions in R. glutinosa leaf cells. This study provides a preliminary indication that the use of allelochemicals by F. oxysporum CCS043 can promote its own growth and proliferation and enhance infection activity. This finding offers a solid theoretical basis and data support for elucidating the fundamental causes of fungal disease outbreaks in continuous cropping of R. glutinosa and for formulating effective mitigation strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Allelopathy in Agroecosystems)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Research

18 pages, 981 KiB  
Review
Pesticidal Activity of Citrus Fruits for the Development of Sustainable Fruit-Processing Waste Management and Agricultural Production
by Hisashi Kato-Noguchi and Midori Kato
Plants 2025, 14(5), 754; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14050754 - 1 Mar 2025
Viewed by 860
Abstract
The annual global production of citrus fruits is over 150 million tons, and 40–50% of the citrus fruits are processed into juices and other products. The processing generates a large amount of waste and causes environmental issues. In order to reduce the environmental [...] Read more.
The annual global production of citrus fruits is over 150 million tons, and 40–50% of the citrus fruits are processed into juices and other products. The processing generates a large amount of waste and causes environmental issues. In order to reduce the environmental impacts, several approaches for the waste management of citrus fruits were proposed. The citrus fruit waste contains several functional compounds, but the extraction of these functional compounds requires adequate production facilities. The waste is not suitable to carry for long distances due to the high percent of water content and its heavy weight, and it is not suitable to store for a long time due to the occurrence of fermentation. Some of the approaches target the use of waste in the proximity of the processing factories. The application of citrus fruit waste for crop production in the agricultural fields close to the faculties is one of the possible management options. The evidence of citrus fruit waste as herbicidal, nematocidal, insecticidal, and anti-fungal materials has been accumulated in the literature over three decades. Several compounds involved in these functions have also been identified in the citrus fruits. However, there has been no review article focusing on the pesticidal activity of citrus fruits against weeds, herbivore insects, parasitic nematodes, and pathogenic fungi. This is the first review article providing an overview of such activities and compounds involved in the functions of citrus fruits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Allelopathy in Agroecosystems)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop