Pests, Pesticides, Pollinators and Sustainable Farming

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Pest and Disease Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 July 2024 | Viewed by 531

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 1155 Athens, Greece
Interests: integrated pest management; biological control; auchenorrhyncha; sustainable plant protection; pollinators; remote sensing; precision plant protection; productive entomology; apiculture; insects as proteins

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Guest Editor
Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 1155 Athens, Greece
Interests: agricultural zoology and entomology

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Guest Editor
Institute for Olive Tree, Subtropical Crops & Viticulture, Hellenic Agricultural Organization “DEMETER", 73100 Chania, Greece
Interests: insect pest; insect parasitoids; population dynamics; vectors of xylella fastidiosa; mass trapping; monitoring; biological control; integrated pest management; smart tools in agriculture

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Crop pests can cause significant yield losses and threaten food supply and security. Relying solely on synthetic pesticides for pest control has proven ineffective and induces adverse effects on pollinators, biodiversity, environmental sustainability, and human health. Moreover, the overreliance on pesticides can foster resistance in pests, trigger outbreaks of other pest species, and adversely affect non-target organisms. To ensure improved control and ecological sustainability, it is essential to reduce synthetic pesticide usage. This can be achieved via the adoption of alternative and effective strategies that keep pest populations below the economic injury threshold, aligning with the objectives of the European Green Deal.

In this Special Issue, we aim to share knowledge on all aspects related to sustainable plant pest management systems that are also compatible with pollination services, adopting a "from farm to fork" approach.

Based on the above, we welcome original research articles and reviews, which will focus on:

  • Integrated and biological pest management systems of crops;
  • Use of pollinators for sustainable farming;
  • Smart plant protection systems (remote sensing, artificial intelligence, decision support systems);
  • Innovative pollinator-friendly pest control;
  • Biopesticides.

Dr. Antonios E. Tsagkarakis
Prof. Dr. Georgios Papadoulis
Dr. Argyro Kalaitzaki
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. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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

  • integrated pest management
  • biological control
  • precision plant protection
  • pollinators
  • remote sensing
  • biopesticides
  • sustainable pest management

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

13 pages, 1386 KiB  
Article
Developing an Effective Push–Pull System for Managing Outbreaks of the Invasive Pest Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Nephelium lappaceum Orchards
by Jian Wen, Zhe Shan, Yan Zou, Xianwu Lin, Zhifu Cui, Rihui Yan and Fengqin Cao
Agronomy 2024, 14(5), 890; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14050890 - 24 Apr 2024
Viewed by 319
Abstract
Outbreaks of the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), present significant challenges to global fruit production, necessitating effective control measures that minimize environmental risks and pesticide resistance. This study aimed to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of four distinct push–pull control strategies for [...] Read more.
Outbreaks of the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), present significant challenges to global fruit production, necessitating effective control measures that minimize environmental risks and pesticide resistance. This study aimed to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of four distinct push–pull control strategies for managing B. dorsalis outbreaks in a Nephelium lappaceum orchard. These strategies involved the inclusion of low-concentration abamectin, spraying repellent with a drone or manually, using methyl eugenol (ME) or food bait and employing either two types of attractants and repellents or a single type. The findings indicated that incorporating the low-concentration abamectin into the push–pull system, utilizing ME as an attractant instead of food lures and manually applying abamectin and attractants were all effective in reducing the B. dorsalis population size and minimizing fruit damage. While increasing the diversity of repellents and attractants enhanced the long-term effectiveness of the system, it did not result in a significant decrease in B. dorsalis population size or fruit damage rate compared to using a single repellent or attractant. In conclusion, the push–pull strategy emerged as a viable method for managing B. dorsalis outbreaks, offering potential benefits in reducing environmental risks and pesticide resistance. However, the study underscored the importance of the context-specific construction of push–pull strategies to optimize their effectiveness in orchard settings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pests, Pesticides, Pollinators and Sustainable Farming)
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