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Integrated Pest Management of Field Crops: Series II

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A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Protection, Diseases, Pests and Weeds".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 October 2022) | Viewed by 23184

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Prof. Dr. Renata Bažok

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Guest Editor

Division of Phytomedicine, Department for Agricultural Zoology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Svetosimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: applied entomology; pesticide reduction; biological control; natural enemies; integrated pest management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Maja Čačija

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Co-Guest Editor

Department for Agricultural Zoology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Svetosimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: entomology; integrated pest management; biological pest control; soil fauna; molecular methods in entomology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Field crops are widely grown on a large scale for consumption purposes. Globally, they occupy about 1.7 billion hectares. They are at great risk of attack by insects and diseases, so the amount of pesticides used in production is very high and the need to adopt integrated pest management (IPM) is obvious. As a cornerstone of sustainable agriculture, IPM seeks to improve farmers' practices to achieve higher profits while improving environmental quality. This Special Issue is a continuation of the Special Issue completed in March 2021. As in the first Issue, which published ten scientific papers on potato, eggplant, quinoa, soybean, wheat, sugar beet, and corn, we look forward to contributions that address recent advances and IPM methods in all types of field crops. We look forward to papers that address the development of long-term strategies to minimize the incidence of pests and diseases, preferably by strengthening natural control mechanisms to grow a "healthy crop." In particular, we are interested in the use of resistant varieties and growing practices that minimize pest and disease pressure and maximize biological control over them. We welcome contributions that address the development and application of novel techniques for predicting pests and diseases, the use of non-chemical methods for pest and disease control, and the development and testing of alternatives to chemical pesticides, biological control agents, including microbial and herbal pesticides, and semiochemicals, all of which can be valuable components of IPM.

Prof. Dr. Renata Bažok
Dr. Maja Čačija
Guest Editors

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Keywords

integrated pest management
natural control mechanisms
ecologically acceptable pesticides
pest monitoring and forecast
biological control agents
semiochemicals

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1918 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ozone in Droplets and Mist in Inhibition of Phytopathogenic Microbiota

by Irina Tanuwidjaja and Mirna Mrkonjic Fuka

Agriculture 2022, 12(11), 1875; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12111875 - 09 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1979

Abstract

Ozon is considered an environmentally friendly, low-cost antimicrobial treatment and an effective alternative to chemical pesticides. Ozonated water in the form of droplets and mist has been used in two concentrations (4 and 2 mg/L) against three biomasses (10², 10⁴, and 10⁶ CFU/mL) of phytopathogenic bacteria Erwinia amylovora, Pseudomonas syringae, and Agrobacterium tumefaciens and fungus Botrytis cinerea that infest a wide range of crops worldwide and pose a threat to global food production. Regardless of concentration, ozone dissolved in water showed a pronounced inhibitory effect on phytopathogenic bacteria when applied in the form of droplets. However, the effect was only detected when the bacterial load was not higher than 10⁴ CFU/mL, indicating the necessity to treat the crops and plant materials when the bacterial load is still manageable. Unlike bacterial phytopathogens, B. cinerea was the most susceptible to treatment with aqueous ozone, regardless of the applied biomass, ozone concentration, or type of application. Total removal of high biomass of B. cinerea was achieved even with the lowest ozonated water concentration thus underlying the power of ozone in treating this particular fungal contamination. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Pest Management of Field Crops: Series II)

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14 pages, 21223 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Temperature on Age–Stage, Two-Sex Life Table Analysis of a Chinese Population of Bean Bug, Riptortus pedestris (Hemiptera: Alydidae)

by Xin-Yue Tian, Yu Gao, Muhammad Yasir Ali, Xiao-Hua Li, Ying-Lu Hu, Wen-Bo Li, Zi-Jie Wang, Shu-Sen Shi and Jin-Ping Zhang

Agriculture 2022, 12(9), 1505; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12091505 - 19 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2026

Abstract

Riptortus pedestris Fabricius (Hemiptera: Alydidae) is an economically important pest of soybean that causes serious damage in the Huang-Huai-Hai region of China, which is the main soybean-producing area. However, the basic biological and ecological attributes of the Chinese populations of R. pedestris are still unknown. Temperature is a critical factor influencing insect population dynamics; therefore, understanding the effects of temperature on individual development and population growth of R. pedestris is helpful to forecast the pest’s phenology as part of its control. In this study, we determined age–stage, two-sex life table parameters of R. pedestris at five constant temperatures (19, 22, 25, 28, and 31 °C) under laboratory conditions. The results demonstrated that the developmental period, preadult time, adult longevity, adult preoviposition period (APOP), and total preoviposition period (TPOP) were all significantly shortened when the temperature increased from 19 to 31 °C. The developmental time from egg to adult was 55.00 d at 19 °C but decreased to 24.43 d at 31 °C. The developmental threshold temperatures of the egg, nymph, female adult, male adult, and total generation (from egg to adult death) were 13.31, 10.91, 16.21, 17.13, and 13.44 °C, respectively, and the corresponding stage-specific day degree totals were 95.91, 260.51, 114.22, 147.35, and 582.04. The net reproductive rate (R₀ = 2.36 offspring), fecundity (58.00 ± 28.59 eggs), and population trend index (I) (7.89) were found to be optimal at 25 °C. These results could be useful for predicting the population dynamics of R. pedestris and improving the management of this pest in field crops. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Pest Management of Field Crops: Series II)

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14 pages, 2715 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Plasmodiophora brassicae Infection Modulates Expansin Genes of Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis

by Muthusamy Muthusamy, Sang Ryeol Park, Jong-In Park and Soo In Lee

Agriculture 2022, 12(9), 1416; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12091416 - 08 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1451

Abstract

Clubroot is a soil-borne disease of cruciferous crops, including Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis, and causes substantial yield losses. In an attempt to develop clubroot-resistant B. rapa cultivars, we investigated the role of a root-abundant expansin-like B1 (EXLB1) during Plasmodiophora brassicae inoculation. The histochemical analyses of infected transgenic reporter lines showed a role for BrEXLB1 in disease response as early as 3 dpi. The transgenic overexpression of EXLB1 in B. rapa conferred disease-sensitive phenotypes and was comparable to non-transgenic controls at 30 dpi. In contrast, the heterogeneous population of antisense BrEXLB1-overexpressing lines conferred disease resistance against highly pathogenic P. brassicae race 2 inoculations under greenhouse conditions. Additionally, we profiled the relative expression of 32 other BrEXPs in wild-type seedlings, sampled on different days (1–10) after inoculation using qRT-PCR. The results indicate that the expression pattern of most BrEXP genes was significantly altered during different infection times, suggesting their participation in clubroot responses. In particular, the expressions of EXPA20, EXPA21, and EXPA34 were consistently downregulated, while the expression of EXPA5 was upregulated (log₂FC ≥ 2) compared to controls. Altogether, our study showed that BrEXPs participate in clubroot disease response, and their genetic manipulation is likely to provide clubroot disease resistance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Pest Management of Field Crops: Series II)

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12 pages, 2198 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Integrating Sowing Date with Chickpea Genotypes in Managing Fusarium Wilt in Morocco

by Elbouazaoui Amine, Allal Douira, Maafa Ilyass and Seid Ahmed

Agriculture 2022, 12(6), 773; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12060773 - 28 May 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1944

Abstract

Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.p ciceris (Foc) is a devastating soil-borne disease of the chickpea. The disease causes crop losses in late-planted chickpeas and no available management option currently exists to recommend to farmers. In order to determine the effect of integrating sowing dates with chickpea genotypes on disease parameters and yield, a field experiment was undertaken in naturally infested soil at Merchouch station during 2017–2018 and 2018–2019. The results showed that significant differences were observed among chickpea genotypes for the three disease parameters, and among sowing dates for final disease incidence. For seed yield, only the sowing dates showed significant differences and all interactions between factors were non-significant for all measured parameters. Late sowing showed high values for the three disease parameters. A high seed yield was obtained from early-planted compared to late-planted chickpeas. In conclusion, the integration of early sowing and chickpea genotypes with good levels of resistance can be recommended for farmers to increase chickpea productivity in Morocco. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Pest Management of Field Crops: Series II)

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11 pages, 852 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysing Farmers’ Herbicide Use Pattern to Estimate the Magnitude and Field-Economic Value of Crop Diversification

by Sabine Andert and Andrea Ziesemer

Agriculture 2022, 12(5), 677; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12050677 - 10 May 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1992

Abstract

We present an on-farm approach to measure the effect of crop diversification on farmers’ field economic values. Eleven years of data (2010–2020) on the chemical herbicide use, tillage practices and crop yields of 17 farms in north-eastern Germany were examined for winter wheat (WW) and winter oilseed rape (WOSR). We used a common conceptual framework to classify farmers’ crop sequences according to their susceptibility to weeds (‘riskiness’). Linear mixed models were used to analyse the relationship between crop sequence, tillage practice (inversion/non-inversion) and the response variables ‘total herbicide costs’, ‘crop yield’ and ‘economic income’. Our results indicate that farmers in the area surveyed commonly grow crop sequences with a high risk of weeds. The driving forces behind this classification are high ratios of winter cereals and WOSR in the sequences. The most interesting result of our analysis is that farmers’ total herbicide costs (THC_fy) significantly decreased from a higher to a lower riskiness class. Diversified crop sequences decreased the THC_fy for WW by up to 12 EUR ha⁻¹ and for WOSR by 19–56 EUR ha⁻¹. Considering the crop diversification effects, the combined influence of tillage and crop sequence seems to be important. Significant differences in crop yield between the riskiness classes were found in WW and WOSR solely in non-inversion tillage systems. Hence, the analysis of farmers’ ‘economic income’ revealed the great impact of crop diversification for non-inversion tillage systems. Indeed, we found that simplifying both crop sequence diversity and tillage intensity implies higher herbicide costs and, thereby, higher economic input. The best strategy for reducing herbicide costs in WW and WOSR cropping is to increase the use of summer crops or field grass as previous crops. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Pest Management of Field Crops: Series II)

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15 pages, 917 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Combination of Potassium Phosphite and Reduced Doses of Fungicides Encourages Protection against Phytophthora infestans in Potatoes

by Neda Najdabbasi, Seyed Mahyar Mirmajlessi, Kevin Dewitte, Marika Mänd, Sofie Landschoot and Geert Haesaert

Agriculture 2022, 12(2), 189; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12020189 - 28 Jan 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3921

Abstract

Late blight caused by the oomycete Phytophthora infestans is considered the biggest threat to potato farming worldwide. For susceptible cultivars, the disease is often managed by frequent applications of fungicides to reduce yield loss. The use of bio-based compounds that interfere with biologically active systems is an innovative strategy for improving disease management. In the present work, the control of P. infestans infection on potatoes by potassium phosphite (KPhi) combined with recommended and reduced doses of active ingredients (Ais) from different fungicides was evaluated. The protective effects of different combinations were initially assessed in vivo and subsequently compared with a greenhouse screening. The active ingredients cyazofamid (CFD) and mancozeb (MCB), used at recommended and reduced doses, were less effective at reducing P. infestans infections than when combined with KPhi. In greenhouse trials, CFD, mandipropamid (MPD) and MCB at recommended doses were the most effective treatments when combined with KPhi; meanwhile, the combination of KPhi with azoxystrobin (AZ), benthiavalicarb-isopropyl/mancozeb (ISO/MCB), and CFD at reduced doses exhibited strong protective activity compared to other similar combinations. This decreased the severity of infection by P. infestans up to ~89%. Greenhouse experiments also demonstrated that a combination of KPhi and CFD at both doses caused the highest reduction in disease severity (up to ~90%) within 35 days of infection. In microplot experiments, KPhi delayed the progression of late blight in susceptible potato varieties; therefore, in the combined treatments AUDPC values were significantly lower than those obtained after applications with CFD doses, providing sufficient protection against late blight. Our data suggest that optimizing the formulation with addition of KPhi could result in a lower recommended dose. This would result in a reduction of the active compounds of the fungicides in potato farming. Furthermore, the impact of KPhi on late blight development makes it a potential component for incorporation into an integrated pest management system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Pest Management of Field Crops: Series II)

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10 pages, 3530 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Management of Deleterious Effect of Fusarium oxysporum Associated with Red Palm Weevil Infestation of Date Palm Trees

by El-Sayed H. E. Ziedan, Mohamed Hashem, Yasser S. Mostafa and Saad Alamri

Agriculture 2022, 12(1), 71; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12010071 - 06 Jan 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1810

Abstract

Red palm weevil (RPW) is a dangerous pest that infects the date palm tree and makes tunnels in the tree’s trunk. RPW infection is followed by secondary invaders of microorganisms that cause degradation of the trunk tissues leading to toppling the crown and death of the tree in a short time. This study showed that Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht. was the common fungal species isolated from the root and trunk tissues of the date trees infested with RPW, which recorded 100% of frequency. Pathogenicity of 4 isolates of F. oxysporum was confirmed on date palm seeds and seedlings. The results confirmed that all isolates involved in rot of the germinated seeds (40–100% incidence), root rot, and death of palm seedlings (20–100%) under artificial infection as well as degradation of date palm petioles. Application of 20 L/palm of systemic fungicide (Topsin) at 1% as foliar and soil drench of date palm for successive three times successfully reduced development of the deterioration and suppressed the growth of F. oxysporum. Interestingly this fungicide did not suppress the growth of Trichoderma viride Pers. So, our results recommend this fungicide to suppress the pathological and degradable activities of F. oxysporum during the integrated pest management of RPW on date palm trees. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Pest Management of Field Crops: Series II)

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14 pages, 313 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Low-Dose Insecticide Combinations for Colorado Potato Beetle Control

by Renata Bažok, Jamie O’Keeffe, Ivana Jurada, Zrinka Drmić, Martina Kadoić Balaško and Maja Čačija

Agriculture 2021, 11(12), 1181; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11121181 - 23 Nov 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1825

Abstract

Colorado potato beetle (CPB) is the most notorious and problematic insect defoliator pest of potato. It is well known for its ability to develop resistance to chemical insecticides, so novel treatment methods must be developed. A possible solution is the application of newer groups of insecticides (biotechnical and biological insecticides) which are more selective and to which resistance has not yet been recorded. This work investigated the use of ecologically acceptable insecticide treatments: azadirachtin, spinosad and spinetoram, and their combinations against CPB larvae in laboratory and field conditions. Reduced dosing and combinational treatments were used to determine if effective protection against CPB could be achieved while also improving economic results. Our results from laboratory trials showed that combinations of low-dose azadirachtin (25%) and low-dose spinetoram (5%) are suitable for use in CPB integrated pest management. The results of the field trial showed that the use of 50% reduced dosage of spinosad and spinetoram resulted in high efficacy (89–99%) and can be recommended as a treatment method that provides effective control of CPB, improved economic results, and a positive environmental impact. Based on the advantages that these treatments offer compared to chemical insecticides, further work is recommended to determine if these combinational treatments used in other dosages or in combinations with some other ecologically acceptable insecticides can provide satisfactory control of CPB. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Pest Management of Field Crops: Series II)

16 pages, 2824 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effective Management of Cucumber Powdery Mildew with Essential Oils

by Yasser S. Mostafa, Mohamed Hashem, Ali M. Alshehri, Saad Alamri, Ebrahem M. Eid, El-Sayed H.E. Ziedan and Sulaiman A. Alrumman

Agriculture 2021, 11(11), 1177; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11111177 - 22 Nov 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4978

Abstract

This research evaluated the efficacy of essential oils in the management of cucumber powdery mildew. Essential oils of lemongrass, lemon, thyme, peppermint, abundance blend, purification blend, and thieves blend were tested in vitro and under greenhouse conditions in two separate experiments. The effects of essential oils were tested against powdery mildew disease at concentrations of 1.0–2.5 mL/L, and the consequent impact of the oils on plant growth was evaluated. Powdery mildew fungus, Podosphaera xanthii, was identified using sequencing of the ITS region. The essential oils significantly reduced disease incidence up to 77.3% compared with the positive control (p < 0.5). Moreover, the essential oils increased the plant length (up to 187 cm), leaf area (up to 27.5 cm²), fresh weight (up to 123 g), dry weight (up to 22.5 g), number of flowers (16.3), and metabolite content compared with the positive control (p < 0.5). Cell membrane injury decreased significantly in the oil-treated pants (p < 0.5), indicating the protective effect of essential oils. This study recommends the application of essential oils in an appropriate dose (2.5 mL/L) to protect cucumber plants against powdery mildew. Overdose of the oils (more than 2.5 mL/L) should be avoided due to adverse effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Pest Management of Field Crops: Series II)

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