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
Plant-Derived Biopesticides: Promising Alternatives for Pest Management
share announcement

Plant-Derived Biopesticides: Promising Alternatives for 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: closed (31 January 2026) | Viewed by 5594

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Romina P. Pizzolitto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV), CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611, Córdoba X5016GCA, Argentina
2. Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos (ICTA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales (FCEFyN), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611, Córdoba X5016GCA, Argentina
3. Cátedra de Microbiología Agrícola, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias (FCA), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Ing. Agr. Félix Aldo Marrone 746, Córdoba X5016GCA, Argentina
Interests: volatile organic compounds; fungal metabolites; sustainable agriculture; biopesticides; essential oils; plant extract; seed coating; chemical ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Fernanda Achimón

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV), CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611, Córdoba X5016GCA, Argentina
2. Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos (ICTA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales (FCEFyN), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611, Córdoba X5016GCA, Argentina
Interests: agricultural microbiology; volatile organic compounds; fungal metabolites; insect control; essential oils; natural antimicrobial compounds; pest management; chemical ecology; seed treatment; sustainable agriculture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Global population is expected to increase to 9 × 109 individuals by 2050, which highlights the need to produce more food in a more sustainable way. Each year, pest organisms are responsible for huge losses pertaining to the world's total agricultural production. Great efforts have been made in order to control food losses, with the application of synthetic pesticides being the most commonly used strategy. However, their frequent application has been associated with harmful effects on living organisms and the environment. This situation has raised a general concern in the global population, leading to the development of bioactive products from natural sources. In this context, different plant-derived metabolites have the potential to be used as alternatives for their bioactive properties against different pest organisms. Secondary plant metabolites, especially essential oils or their individual components, represent a natural source for the design of biopesticides. This Special Issue of Plants aims to extend the current knowledge on biopesticides through studies exploring the biological activity of plant-derived metabolites for the management of agricultural pests.

Dr. Romina P. Pizzolitto
Dr. Fernanda Achimón
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 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

  • biopesticides
  • essential oils
  • plant extracts
  • biological activity
  • volatile organic compounds

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

14 pages, 1073 KB  
Article
Insecticidal Activity of Essential Oil from the Leaves of Myrciaria floribunda (Myrtaceae) Against Sitophilus zeamais in Stored Maize
by Wevertton Marllon Anselmo, Danilo Gustavo Rodrigues Silva, Fábio Henrique Galdino dos Santos, Ana Carla da Silva, Júlio César Ribeiro De Oliveira Farias De Aguiar, Eduarda Florencio Santos, Gilson José da Silva Gomes Vieira, Camila Soledade de Lira Pimentel, Ana Patrícia Silva de Oliveira, Thiago Henrique Napoleão, Patrícia Maria Guedes Paiva, Patryck Érmerson Monteiro dos Santos, Eurico Eduardo Pinto de Lemos and Daniela Maria do Amaral Ferraz Navarro
Plants 2026, 15(8), 1272; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15081272 - 21 Apr 2026
Viewed by 446
Abstract
Myrciaria floribunda is a plant found in the Northeast region of Brazil with several insecticidal properties that remain little explored. In this sense, this study aims to investigate the harmful effects of essential oil (EO) from M. floribunda leaves against Sitophilus zeamais, [...] Read more.
Myrciaria floribunda is a plant found in the Northeast region of Brazil with several insecticidal properties that remain little explored. In this sense, this study aims to investigate the harmful effects of essential oil (EO) from M. floribunda leaves against Sitophilus zeamais, an important corn pest. The EO was applied in toxicity tests by fumigation, contact, and ingestion, as well as in in vitro assays to evaluate its effects on the activity of the enzymes α-amylase, trypsin, and acetylcholinesterase. Chromatographic analysis of the oil revealed (E)-caryophyllene (56.41%), viridiflorol (4.02%) and α-selinene (3.85%) as the main compounds. The essential oil (EO) showed fumigation toxicity, with an LC50 of 3.2 μL/L of air, and (E)-caryophyllene with an LC50 of 3.97 μL/L of air. The EO inhibited insect feeding, altering growth rate and feed conversion efficiency starting at 62.5 μL/g. In this study, an increase in amylase and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was observed. This increase in AChE activity may cause an imbalance in the nervous system, leading to insect death. Thus, the EO of M. floribunda may serve as an alternative for the control of S. zeamais in stored corn and help prevent significant post-harvest losses for farmers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Derived Biopesticides: Promising Alternatives for Pest Management)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

12 pages, 617 KB  
Article
Sulcatone as a Plant-Derived Volatile Organic Compound for the Control of the Maize Weevil and Its Associated Phytopathogenic Fungi in Stored Maize
by Fernanda Achimón, Maria L. Peschiutta, Vanessa D. Brito, Sofia B. Ulla and Romina P. Pizzolitto
Plants 2024, 13(20), 2893; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13202893 - 16 Oct 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1986
Abstract
Stored maize is frequently attacked by different pests, such as insects and microorganisms. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the bioactivities of sulcatone (6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one) against the maize weevil Sitophilus zeamais and the phytopathogenic fungi Fusarium verticillioides, Aspergillus flavus, [...] Read more.
Stored maize is frequently attacked by different pests, such as insects and microorganisms. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the bioactivities of sulcatone (6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one) against the maize weevil Sitophilus zeamais and the phytopathogenic fungi Fusarium verticillioides, Aspergillus flavus, and A. parasiticus. Sulcatone showed a strong repellent effect with a maximum value of −92.1 ± 3.2% at 40 µM in two-choice olfactometer bioassays and an LC95 value of 17.2 µL/L air (95% 16.5–18.1) in a fumigant toxicity experiment. The antifungal effect of sulcatone was evaluated through the fumigant method, reporting MIC values of 3.5, 3.8, and 3.9 mM for F. verticillioides, A. parasiticus, and A. flavus, respectively. Additionally, a silo-bag experiment containing all pests was conducted to evaluate the potential use of sulcatone in a real storage system. Sulcatone caused 71.69 ± 1.57% weevil mortality in silo-bags and proved to be effective as a fungicidal and antimycotoxigenic agent since both ergosterol and fumonisin B1 content were significantly reduced by 60% in silo-bags containing sulcatone. This study demonstrated that sulcatone has the potential to be used for the control of both insects and fungi of stored maize, without affecting the germination of grains. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Derived Biopesticides: Promising Alternatives for Pest Management)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

21 pages, 523 KB  
Review
The Overlooked Impact of Botanical Pesticides on Non-Target Organisms
by Ana Paula Soares, Guilherme Julião Zocolo and Adeney de Freitas Bueno
Plants 2026, 15(6), 917; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15060917 - 16 Mar 2026
Viewed by 911
Abstract
To better understand how botanical products affect non-target organisms, the present review focuses on the toxicity of botanical pesticides to organisms other than targeted pests, to trace a panorama on the future of sustainable agricultural models worldwide, considering the importance of ecotoxicological studies [...] Read more.
To better understand how botanical products affect non-target organisms, the present review focuses on the toxicity of botanical pesticides to organisms other than targeted pests, to trace a panorama on the future of sustainable agricultural models worldwide, considering the importance of ecotoxicological studies in the development of new pesticides, including botanical kinds, which are commonly recognized as essentially harmless. The review summarizes published work gathered from digital databases and highlights modern trends in pest management research and the development of novel bioinputs, including a discussion of the world’s current legislation regarding relevant agricultural innovations and field obstacles. Nanotechnology techniques are discussed as major innovations employed in the pest control field, and their employment in improving botanical pesticides is addressed and explored. In this work, we analyze the factors involved in determining the success of botanical products and their importance in the implementation of a more sustainable approach to managing crops. The results indicate a significant lack of studies focused on the effects of botanical products on non-target organisms and an increase in studies with nanoformulations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Derived Biopesticides: Promising Alternatives for Pest Management)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 4140 KB  
Review
Are We Adequately Testing Essential Oils as Insecticides in the Laboratory? Bridging the Gap Between Laboratory Bioassays and Field Applications
by Alejandro Lucia, Eduardo Guzmán and Ariel C. Toloza
Plants 2026, 15(1), 84; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15010084 - 26 Dec 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1261
Abstract
Essential oils (EOs) have been extensively studied as potential alternatives for insect pest management. In recent years, research on these natural compounds has increased substantially. However, despite numerous studies demonstrating the insecticidal properties of EOs under laboratory conditions, their practical application remains limited. [...] Read more.
Essential oils (EOs) have been extensively studied as potential alternatives for insect pest management. In recent years, research on these natural compounds has increased substantially. However, despite numerous studies demonstrating the insecticidal properties of EOs under laboratory conditions, their practical application remains limited. This discrepancy highlights a significant gap between experimental findings and the development of commercially viable products. Several factors have been proposed as the basis for this gap, including the absence of positive controls to compare their effectiveness (i), the imperative need to develop new formulations (ii), and the potential toxicity of many to non-target organisms (iii). This work focuses on why the information obtained in the laboratory has not translated into the biopesticide market. A key issue is the difficulty of applying laboratory knowledge in adapting to field-like scenarios, such as spray quality (droplet size and volume), the nature of the application solvent used in the sprayer tank, and the way the insect is exposed to the insecticide (i.e., the type of laboratory bioassay selected). This challenge is primarily due to researchers’ limited understanding of the application techniques used in field settings to manage specific insect pests. Many laboratory bioassays designed to measure effectiveness do not accurately reflect field conditions; instead, they often create scenarios that artificially enhance effectiveness. This results in an unrealistically high effectiveness estimate of the true potential of EOs in controlling the targeted insects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Derived Biopesticides: Promising Alternatives for Pest Management)
►▼ 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