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Agronomy
Special Issues
Biorationals as Plant Protectants and Plant Health Strengtheners
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Biorationals as Plant Protectants and Plant Health Strengtheners

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2021) | Viewed by 12943

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Thorsten Kraska

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation & Field Lab Campus Klein-Altendorf, University of Bonn, 53359 Rheinbach, Germany
Interests: horticulture; vegetables; ornamental plants; growing substrates for sustainable plant production; stress physiology; plant phenotyping; plant pathology; plant protection; biorationals; biobased products; bioeconomy; Miscanthus; biomass plants; renewable resources

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

As much as plant protection against biotic (e.g. pathogens, pest) and abiotic stress (e. g. drought, temperature) is needed to safeguard yields and produce quality of our crops worldwide, the societal demand for a sustainable, low risk, or pesticide free plant protection measures is increasing. With this demand the need for alternatives in integrated pest management (IPM) and biological control is increasing too. Biorationals (see below) are in general considered environmentally friendly and being of low risk.  Due to their often very different origin and mode of action a comprehensive and comparative collection of different biorationals, their mode of action, and their possible meaning for agricultural and horticultural practice is needed.

This special issue is therefore intended to describe the different biorationals, but more important how effective they are in horticultural and field crops against pathogens or pests, if they promote plant health (e.g. through higher resistance), possible mode of actions, environmental impact, or how they can be implemented in sustainable cultivation management strategies. We invite experts and researchers in the field to contribute original research articles, reviews, and opinion pieces addressing biorationals in horticultural and field crops. Papers on all above described topics will be considered in this Special Issue. The term Biorational in this special issue is used to describe measures in plant protection and plant strengthening, which are considered to have a low risk for the environment or humans with an acceptable efficiency against biotic or abiotic stress factors. These biorationals include biological agents, extracts from plants and other biological sources, basic natural products, biostimulants, plant strengtheners, plant health promotors, or stress resistance inducing agents. If synthetic they are structurally similar to natural products. Due to their different origin their mode of action could be different.

Dr. Thorsten Kraska
Guest Editor

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

  • biorationals
  • disease control
  • pest control
  • plant health
  • crop protection
  • integrated pest management

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 7970 KiB  
Article
On the Applicability of Chitosan Oligomers-Amino Acid Conjugate Complexes as Eco-Friendly Fungicides against Grapevine Trunk Pathogens
by Laura Buzón-Durán, Natalia Langa-Lomba, Vicente González-García, José Casanova-Gascón, Jesús Martín-Gil, Eduardo Pérez-Lebeña and Pablo Martín-Ramos
Agronomy 2021, 11(2), 324; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11020324 - 12 Feb 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3566
Abstract
In a context in which the incidence and severity of grapevine fungal diseases is increasing as a result of both climate change and modern management culture practices, reducing the excessive use of phytosanitary products in viticulture represents a major challenge. Specifically, grapevine trunk [...] Read more.
In a context in which the incidence and severity of grapevine fungal diseases is increasing as a result of both climate change and modern management culture practices, reducing the excessive use of phytosanitary products in viticulture represents a major challenge. Specifically, grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs), caused by several complexes of wood decay or xylem-inhabiting fungi, pose a major challenge to vineyard sustainability. In this study, the efficacy of chitosan oligomers (COS)–amino acid conjugate complexes against three fungal species belonging to the Botryosphaeriaceae family (Neofusicoccum parvum, Diplodia seriata, and Botryosphaeria dothidea) was investigated both in vitro and in planta. In vitro tests led to EC50 and EC90 effective concentrations in the 254.6−448.5 and 672.1−1498.5 µg·mL−1 range, respectively, depending on the amino acid involved in the conjugate complex (viz. cysteine, glycine, proline or tyrosine) and on the pathogen assayed. A synergistic effect between COS and the amino acids was observed against D. seriata and B. dothidea (synergy factors of up to 2.5 and 2.8, respectively, according to Wadley’s method). The formulations based on COS and on the conjugate complex that showed the best inhibition rates, COS−tyrosine, were further investigated in a greenhouse trial on grafted vines of two varieties (”Tempranillo” on 775P and “Garnacha” on 110R rootstock), artificially inoculated with the mentioned three Botryosphaeriaceae species. The in planta bioassay revealed that the chosen formulations induced a significant decrease in disease severity against N. parvum and B. dothidea. In summary, the reported conjugate complexes may be promising enough to be worthy of additional examination in larger field trials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biorationals as Plant Protectants and Plant Health Strengtheners)
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17 pages, 1071 KiB  
Article
Effects of a Salicylic Acid Analog on Aphis gossypii and Its Predator Chrysoperla carnea on Melon Plants
by Ana Moreno-Delafuente, Elisa Garzo, Alberto Fereres, Elisa Viñuela and Pilar Medina
Agronomy 2020, 10(11), 1830; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10111830 - 21 Nov 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3058
Abstract
The salicylic acid analog BTH (benzo-(1,2,3)-thiadiazole-7-carbothioic-acid S-methyl ester) induces systemic acquired resistance by promoting plant resistance against numerous plant pathogens and some insect pests. The objective of the research was to evaluate the activation of plant defenses with BTH on melon (Cucumis [...] Read more.
The salicylic acid analog BTH (benzo-(1,2,3)-thiadiazole-7-carbothioic-acid S-methyl ester) induces systemic acquired resistance by promoting plant resistance against numerous plant pathogens and some insect pests. The objective of the research was to evaluate the activation of plant defenses with BTH on melon (Cucumis melo L., Cucurbitaceae) and its effects on the herbivore Aphis gossypii Glover, 1877 (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and on the aphid predator Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens, 1836) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). Under laboratory conditions, plants were sprayed with BTH (50 g/ha) zero (B0), four (B4), and seven (B7) days prior exposure to insects. B0 treatment resulted in 100% mortality of aphid nymphs and disrupted adult feeding behavior (recorded by electrical-penetration-graphs technique), by prolonging the time to reach the phloem, requiring more probes to first salivation and reducing ingestion activities. There were no effects on feeding behavior of A. gossypii fed on B4 plants but on its life history because fewer nymphs were born, intrinsic rate of natural growth decreased, and mortality increased. There were no effects on biological parameters of aphids reared on B7 plants. Prey consumption by C. carnea larvae when predated A. gossypii fed on BTH-treated plants was not different among treatments. Therefore, BTH enhances the suppression of A. gossypii in the short term, without negative effects on the predatory larva C. carnea, which makes this plant strengthener a useful tool to be considered in integrated pest management programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biorationals as Plant Protectants and Plant Health Strengtheners)
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Review

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25 pages, 1656 KiB  
Review
Siliceous Natural Nanomaterials as Biorationals—Plant Protectants and Plant Health Strengtheners
by Diana Constantinescu-Aruxandei, Carmen Lupu and Florin Oancea
Agronomy 2020, 10(11), 1791; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10111791 - 16 Nov 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 5274
Abstract
This review aims to evaluate the scientific evidences for siliceous natural nanomaterials (SNNMs), natural zeolites, and diatomaceous earth, as biorationals. Both SNNMs are multifaceted agricultural inputs—plant protectants, plant biostimulants/plant strengtheners, soil improvers. The effects depend on the plant parts, where such siliceous natural [...] Read more.
This review aims to evaluate the scientific evidences for siliceous natural nanomaterials (SNNMs), natural zeolites, and diatomaceous earth, as biorationals. Both SNNMs are multifaceted agricultural inputs—plant protectants, plant biostimulants/plant strengtheners, soil improvers. The effects depend on the plant parts, where such siliceous natural nanomaterials (SNNMs) are applied. For stored grains, SNNMs act as plant protectants. Foliar applied SNNMs protect plants against biotic and abiotic stress—plant protectant and plant strengtheners. When applied to soil/roots, SNNMs stimulate root development and improve soil characteristics. These effects are related to the composition and porous (nano)structure of SNNMs. The large active siliceous surfaces of SNNMs are involved in: desiccation of the insects damaging stored grains, fungistatic effects against mycotoxigenic fungi and adsorption of their mycotoxins, desiccation of foliar pathogens and pests, stimulation of photosynthesis, release of soluble silicon species, improved soil characteristics. Similar to other biorationals from the category of basic substances with low risk, the SNNMs efficacy as plant protectants and plant health strengtheners is rather low. Complementary active ingredients should be used to enhance the effects of SNNMs on treated plants. For SNNMs applied as protectants of stored seeds, such strategy, of using complementary biorationals/low risk substances, proved to be highly effective. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biorationals as Plant Protectants and Plant Health Strengtheners)
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