Dear Colleagues,

The management of diseases caused by pathogens in vegetable cropping systems continuously needs to be improved in terms of its sustainability, effectiveness, and innovativeness.

Biological control sources, including suppressive composts, antagonistic microbial agents, and their combinations, are still being explored to achieve higher levels of efficacy in the non-synthetic disease management of vegetable cropping systems resulting in significant reduction in the use of fungicides.

Within this scope, they could take advantage of the development of new and innovative tools, formulates, and applicative protocols aimed at increasing efficacy in the control of pathogens, reducing the amounts of synthetic fungicides, and/or at enhancing effective integration with other alternative non-synthetic pathogen control means, such as biological, physical, and agronomic methods.

In this view, resource use efficiency in sustainable plant protection practices are particularly required and can be pursued by integrating new knowledge and control means, including the utilization of the newly available digital technologies in supporting operational choices. Digital technologies, indeed, are proposed for a wide range of precision agriculture applications with the main aim of maximizing the efficiency of productive factors, thereby also providing remarkable opportunities for counteracting plant pathogens.

This Special Issue will focus on “Perspectives on the Use of Compost and Microorganisms to Control Pathogens of Vegetable Crops”. Novel research articles and reviews are sought covering any topics related to the sustainable control of pathogens on vegetable crops by using compost and microorganisms also with digital support, including (but not limited to) compost suppressiveness, biological control, innovative formulations, soil suppressiveness, quality and microbiology, plant–microbe–pathogen interaction, and suppressiveness-related biodiversity. The integration of suppressive composts and antagonistic microorganisms with digital technologies to enhance disease management of vegetables are also welcome.

Dr. Catello Pane
Dr. Gelsomina Manganiello
Guest Editors

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• sustainability
• plant pathology
• plant diseases
• biological control
• compost suppressiveness
• microbial antagonist
• soil-borne microbiome
• integrated disease management
• digital support system
• precision biological control