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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 December 2023) | Viewed by 26155

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Christos G. Athanassiou

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Laboratory of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology, Crop Production and Rural Environment, Department of Agriculture, University of Thessaly, Phytokou Str., 38443 N. Ionia, Magnesia, Greece
Interests: pheromones and semiochemicals; insect parasitoids; population ecology; sampling and trapping; invasive biology; integrated pest management; microbial control; chemical control; non-chemical control; stored-product protection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Paraskevi Agrafioti

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Laboratory of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology, Crop Production and Rural Environment, Department of Agriculture, University of Thessaly, Phytokou str., 38443 N. Ionia, Magnesia, Greece
Interests: stored product insects; biological control; chemical and non-chemical control; integrated pest management; insect taxonomy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Efstathios Kaloudis

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Guest Editor

Computer Simulation, Genomics and Data Analysis Laboratory, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, School of the Environment, University of the Aegean, Lemnos, Greece
Interests: computational fluid dynamics; heat/mass transfer; programming; data analysis; optimization; machine learning; post-harvest grain quality; fumigation of agricultural commodities; traceability in the food chain
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Almost all agricultural commodities pass through certain post-harvest stages, either as raw or as processed commodities. Storage is a critical stage of agricultural production, given that storage conditions and characteristics are determinative of global food security and availability. During storage, transportation, and processing, commodities can be heavily damaged by pests and diseases, which can cause massive losses and considerable qualitative degradations, which may result, in a very short period of time, in the product becoming unsuitable for further processing, or even dangerous to human health. Based on the above, we initiated a Special Issue in Agronomy on “Post-harvest pest and disease management”, which will focus on:

Pests and diseases that infest agricultural commodities during storage;
Use of conventional and modern techniques to control pests and diseases during storage;
Modeling of conditions and related parameters during the post-harvest stages of agricultural commodities;
Socio-economic aspects related to storage issues.

The overall aim of this Special Issue is to increase awareness of the adoption of judicious techniques during all post-harvest stages of agricultural products, under a “from farm to fork” approach.

Prof. Dr. Christos G. Athanassiou
Dr. Paraskevi Agrafioti
Dr. Efstathios Kaloudis
Guest Editors

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Keywords

stored-product protection
post-harvest pests
post-harvest diseases
processing
storage
food safety
food security
post-harvest losses
computational models

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Published Papers (12 papers)

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12 pages, 2494 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effectiveness of Four Synthetic Fungicides in the Control of Post-Harvest Gray Mold of Strawberry and Analyses of Residues on Fruit

by Costantino Vischetti, Erica Feliziani, Lucia Landi, Arianna De Bernardi, Enrica Marini and Gianfranco Romanazzi

Agronomy 2024, 14(1), 65; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14010065 - 26 Dec 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2174

Abstract

Fungicides are usually applied on strawberries to manage gray mold, induced by the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea. In this study, four reduced-risk fungicides (formulations of pyrimethanil, PYR, 175 mL/hL; boscalid, BOS, 80 g/hL; combination fludioxonil, FLU, +cyprodinil, CYP, 110 g/hL) were applied before harvest for the management of post-harvest diseases of strawberries. The resulting fungicide residues on the strawberry fruit were also quantified. Strawberry fruits were harvested at 0, 4, 8, and 12 days following treatment (dft) and kept at 20 ± 1 °C for 4 days or cold-stored for 7 days at 0.5 ± 1 °C, followed by a 4-day shelf life at 20 ± 1 °C. All fungicides significantly reduced gray mold, according to the McKinney Index. At 0 dft and 4 days of shelf life, the FLU + CYP completely prevented post-harvest strawberry gray mold, while PYR and BOS reduced the disease by 88% and 42%, respectively, in comparison to the untreated control. For the duration of experiment, fungicide residues were always below the maximum residue levels, and FLU was the most degraded, thanks to the enzymatic pool of the strawberries. Monitoring fungicide residues in strawberries is essential to provide the consumer information on the safety of this widely consumed fruit. The present study points out the safety of strawberry fruits for consumers, even if the treatment strategy implies the use of fungicide mixtures before the consumption, with fungicide levels always being below the MRL. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-harvest Pest and Disease Management)

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13 pages, 2905 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Efficacy of Four Insecticides Applied to Fortified Rice with Basil against Major Stored-Product Insect Species

by Paraskevi Agrafioti, Mariastela Vrontaki, Evagelia Lampiri, Christos I. Rumbos and Christos G. Athanassiou

Agronomy 2023, 13(12), 3055; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13123055 - 14 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1118

Abstract

Rice is one of the most important foods since it is grown in many countries and consumed by the majority of the population. Ensuring food security through the protection of stored-product commodities has become one of the most important priorities worldwide. In this study, the effects of three insecticidal formulations and an available diatomaceous earth formulation on basil-fortified rice against the major stored-product insects were evaluated. The label dose of each insecticidal formulation was used. Insect mortality was determined after 1, 3, 7, 14 and 21 days for each species. The entire experiment was repeated three times by preparing different lots of treated and untreated rice for each treatment. The results of the diatomaceous earth treatments showed that the most susceptible individuals were Sitophilus oryzae adults and Oryzaephilus surinamensis larvae, while the least susceptible individuals were Rhyzopertha dominica and Tribolium castaneum adults. The tested insecticides were effective against S. oryzae, as mortality was 100%. Between the two pyrethroids, deltamethrin was more effective than cypermethrin in the tested insecticides. Our findings indicate that there are available insecticides on the market which can be obtained successfully for the durable protection of agricultural commodities after the harvest stage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-harvest Pest and Disease Management)

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12 pages, 464 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prediction of Oxygen Distribution in Silos and Chambers Filled with Various Agricultural Commodities

by Efstathios Kaloudis, Paraskevi Agrafioti and Christos Athanassiou

Agronomy 2023, 13(12), 3027; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13123027 - 10 Dec 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1030

Abstract

In the context of post-harvest pest management in agricultural products, the adoption of modified atmospheres presents an eco-friendly alternative to conventional pesticides. This study focuses on nitrogen gas as a potential agent for insect control in stored commodities, utilizing computational simulations (by employing the convection–diffusion equation) to investigate its penetration and distribution within two common storage configurations: chamber-contained pallets and silos. The results highlight the influence of boundary conditions, commodity porosity, and convection effects on nitrogen dispersion. In chamber scenarios, the first boundary condition considers that pallets are placed inside a chamber with uniform (99.5%) nitrogen concentration, whereas in the second one, the concentration gradually increases from 78% to 99.5%. The average duration required for O

_{2}

concentration to reach 1% is approximately 10.7 h and 133.3 h for the two boundary conditions, respectively. Among the agricultural commodities, walnuts (kernels) exhibit the shortest duration, while prunes require the longest time. In silos, convection and diffusion interact to establish a consistent diffusion layer thickness. Most agricultural products exhibit similar behavior, with average times of 13.5 h, 25.4 h, and 37.0 h for three heights (10 m, 20 m, and at the silo’s top at 30 m), respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-harvest Pest and Disease Management)

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14 pages, 2298 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Protective Role of Mycosynthesized Bimetallic ZnO-CuO Nanoparticles as Therapeutic Nutrients to Enhance the Resistance of Vicia faba against Fusarium Wilt Disease

by Mohamed S. Attia, Gharieb S. El-Sayyad, Amer M. Abdelaziz, Sherif E. Gaber, Ahmed Mohamed Aly Khalil, Ahmed Mahmoud Saleh, Omar Mahmoud Al zoubi and Amr H. Hashem

Agronomy 2023, 13(11), 2725; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13112725 - 29 Oct 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1573

Abstract

The exacerbation of climatic changes helped to increase the risk of plant diseases in the world. The novelty of this study lies in the manufacture of therapeutic nutrients using nanotechnology with strong effectiveness against plant disease. Based on this concept, we mycosynthesized bimetallic ZnO-CuO nanoparticles (NPs), alternatives to reduce the spread of Vicia faba Fusarium wilt disease, which is one of the world’s most imperative cultivated crops. The article’s uniqueness comes in the utilization of ZnO-CuO nanoparticles to carry out two crucial tasks: therapeutic nutrients and managing Fusarium disease. To evaluate the resistance of infected plants, disease index (DI), photosynthetic pigments, osmolytes, oxidative stress and yield parameters were assessed. NPs of ZnO, CuO, and ZnO-CuO were mycosynthesized using a biomass filtrate of Aspergillus fumigatus OQ519856. DI reached 87.5%, due to Fusarium infection, and, as a result, a severe decrease in growth characters, photosynthetic pigments, total soluble carbohydrates, and proteins as well as yield parameters was observed. Infected plants produced more of the studied metabolites and antioxidants. On the other hand, the treatment with CuO-ZnO NPs led to a great decline in the DI by 22.5% and increased the protection by 74.28%. A clear improvement in growth characters, photosynthetic pigments and a high content of carbohydrates and proteins was also observed in both healthy and infected plants as a result of CuO-ZnO NPs treatment. Remarkably, CuO-ZnO NPs significantly increased the yield parameters, i.e., pods/plant and pod weight, by 146.1% and 228.8%, respectively. It could be suggested that foliar application of NPs of ZnO, CuO, and ZnO-CuO could be commercially used as antifusarial agents and strong elicitors of induced systemic resistance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-harvest Pest and Disease Management)

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18 pages, 506 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Understanding the Influence of Applying Two Culture Filtrates to Control Gray Mold Disease (Botrytis cinerea) in Tomato

by Lobna Hajji-Hedfi, Abdelhak Rhouma, Hichem Hajlaoui, Fedi Hajlaoui and Nazih Y. Rebouh

Agronomy 2023, 13(7), 1774; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13071774 - 30 Jun 2023

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2728

Abstract

Botrytis cinerea, a causal agent of gray mold disease, is one of the most destructive fungal pathogens that leads to substantial global economic crop losses, especially for tomato plants. The present study aims to investigate the inhibitory effect of two microbial culture filtrates (BCA filtrate alone and combined with salicylic acid) of Trichoderma longibrachiatum and Pseudomonas sp. against the phytopathogenic fungus B. cinerea on tomato plants. The biochemical modifications, gray mold disease incidence, and fruit quality parameters of the tomatoes were determined according to tested treatments. The results showed that both fungi and bacteria were able to solubilize phosphate and produce IAA and HCN. T. longibrachiatum could produce hydrolytic enzymes (chitinase, protease, and glucanase). Otherwise, Pseudomonas sp. showed the capacity to produce catalase and amylase enzymes. Both microbial culture filtrates inhibited the hyphae growth of B. cinerea. The biocontrol efficacy, in vitro, was significant: up to 50% in terms of the growth inhibition rate at a concentration of 40%. The tomato seedlings’ growth was promoted by the separate preventive treatments of each micro-organism culture filtrate. In addition, disease severity in the tomato seedlings and fruit was significantly reduced. Furthermore, the combined treatment of tomato fruit with culture filtrates and salicylic acid induced significant biochemical and physiological changes in fruit firmness, juice yield, total protein, and ROS enzyme activities. The culture filtrates of T. longibrachiatum and Pseudomonas sp. can be recommended as an effective microbial biofungicide to control gray mold disease under storage conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-harvest Pest and Disease Management)

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13 pages, 3900 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biofumigation by Mustard Plants as an Application for Controlling Postharvest Gray Mold in Apple Fruits

by Yuee Tian, Zitong Yang, Wen Song, Hanqing Zhao, Qin Ye, Heng Xu, Baishi Hu, Danyu Shen and Daolong Dou

Agronomy 2023, 13(6), 1490; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13061490 - 28 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1917

Abstract

Gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea is a critical disease that results in severe postharvest losses for the apple industry. In recent years, biological control has become an increasingly effective approach for controlling postharvest diseases in fruits. Brassica plants contain abundant natural compounds with known antimicrobial activity against numerous plant pathogens. In this study, a large-scale screening of 90 mustard cultivars was conducted to evaluate their biofumigation effects against B. cinerea. Among these, one mustard cultivar named Dilong-1, displayed the highest inhibitory effect against B. cinerea, and was able to completely inhibit mycelial growth. Further investigations showed that fumigation with Dilong-1 inhibited mycelial growth, sporulation, and spore germination of B. cinerea in vitro. In addition, fumigation using Dilong-1 showed a wide antifungal spectrum, including other fruit postharvest pathogens such as Phytophthora litchii. Furthermore, apple gray mold disease severity was significantly reduced by biofumigation using Dilong-1. Importantly, fumigation with Dilong-1 did not negatively impact final apple qualities, including weight loss, firmness, and total soluble solids. These results suggested that Dilong-1 significantly inhibited gray mold decay caused by B. cinerea without affecting the quality of apple fruits. In conclusion, biological fumigation of apple fruits with the mustard cultivar Dilong-1 is a promising eco-friendly approach for controlling apple gray mold during storage and shipment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-harvest Pest and Disease Management)

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10 pages, 1529 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Action of Different Exposures of Chilled Atmospheric Treatments on the Mortality of Granary Weevil and Embryo Viability of the Treated Wheat

by Sándor Keszthelyi, Helga Lukács, Szilvia Gibicsár, Roman Rolbiecki and Ferenc Pál-Fám

Agronomy 2023, 13(2), 597; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13020597 - 19 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1379

Abstract

The granary weevil, Sitophilus granarius (L.), is considered a serious pest in stored grain worldwide. As residual-based protection possibilities become scarcer, the development of eco-friendly control technologies that can be implemented in practice is becoming urgent. In this spirit, our objective was to assess the effectiveness of different levels of atmospheric cooling against S. granarius under laboratory conditions. We also analysed the effects of cooling on progeny generation and the viability of treated wheat. Thus, we investigated the consequences of atmospheric exposures to temperatures of −5, −10, −15, −20, and −25 °C for 60, 75, and 90 min on these factors, and also explored the effects of nearby ranges using extrapolation. The viability of the treated wheat embryo was analysed using a TTC test. Our results showed that the highest efficacy was observed at an atmospheric cooling temperature of −25 °C (with a parallel recorded temperature of −10.5 °C in the stored grains zone), with a 90 min exposure at suboptimal relative humidity (40%). At 60% relative humidity, the mortality averages were more dispersed, and the expected efficiencies above 95% occurred at longer exposures. The post-suppressive effect of cooling can be confirmed in all three exposures. The different cooling temperatures of the tested exposure times did not produce any appreciable changes in the viability of treated wheat embryos. In conclusion, our results show that the use of atmospheric cooling can be an effective solution for stored product protection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-harvest Pest and Disease Management)

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14 pages, 3254 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Antifungal Activity of Propolis Extracts against Postharvest Pathogen Phlyctema vagabunda

by Iván Urrea, Nolberto Arismendi, Ximena Sepúlveda, Macarena Gerding, Silvana Vero and Marisol Vargas

Agronomy 2023, 13(1), 104; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13010104 - 29 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2093

Abstract

Phlyctema vagabunda is one of the main postharvest pathogens in late-harvest apples in Chile. The control of this pathogen is mainly through synthetic fungicides or copper-based compounds; however, there are concerns about the residues of these products in food and the environment. Therefore, there is a need for seeking alternative control strategies, in which propolis, a resinous substance collected by bees with antimicrobial properties, could be an environmentally friendly and safe alternative to control for P. vagabunda. The aim of this study was to characterize and determine the pathogenicity of Chilean isolates of P. vagabunda and to evaluate the antifungal activity of propolis against P. vagabunda in vitro and in vivo conditions. The Chilean isolates were identified as P. vagabunda through morphological and molecular characterization. The concentrations of propolis of 0.5% and 0.05% significantly decreased the mycelial growth and germination of conidia by 88.5% and 100%, respectively. The incidence and severity of the disease in apples also decreased by 57.2% and 61.3%, respectively. The use of propolis extract could be a promising alternative for the control of P. vagabunda in apples. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-harvest Pest and Disease Management)

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18 pages, 1748 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Control of Stored Agro-Commodity Pests Sitophilus granarius and Callosobruchus chinensis by Nitrogen Hypoxic Atmospheres: Laboratory and Field Validations

by Radek Aulicky, Jawad Ali Shah, Vlastimil Kolar, Zhihong Li and Vaclav Stejskal

Agronomy 2022, 12(11), 2748; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12112748 - 5 Nov 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2266

Abstract

Given the complexity of the practical usage of controlled atmospheres for the protection of agro-commodities, several researchers have pointed out that there is not enough robust scientific documentation regarding the usage of inert gases for their widespread practical application. Therefore, this work evaluated various regimes of hypoxic and anoxic nitrogen atmospheres for the control of two key stored-product pests, in laboratory and under field conditions in silos. Sitophilus granarius and Callosobruchus chinensis were selected as the tested species since they are important pests of grain/rice or legumes in Europe and Asia. Under laboratory conditions, we tested nitrogen (N₂) concentrations (from 95 to 100%) and exposure times (1–20 days) on the developmental stages of both pest species. In most developmental stages of S. granarius and C. chinensis, the shortest effective exposure was found for nitrogen concentration of 99%. Based on our laboratory tests, validation studies were subsequently carried out in semi-hermetic steel silos (25t) using continuous nitrogen saturation by on-site built swing pressure generators. It was found that a full control of all stages of S. granarius and C. chinensis was achieved in 11 days of nitrogen exposure, using concentrations ranging above 99% and below 100%. Our work shows that hypoxic nitrogen treatment can be effectively achieved in small steel silos under proper technological and environmental conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-harvest Pest and Disease Management)

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10 pages, 1489 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Population Growth Changes in Major Stored Product Insects on Rice Fortified with Spearmint and Basil

by Paraskevi Agrafioti, Evagelia Lampiri, Panagiotis E. Igoumenidis, Vaios T. Karathanos, Antonis Perdikaris and Christos G. Athanassiou

Agronomy 2022, 12(9), 2088; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12092088 - 1 Sep 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1715

Abstract

Rice is the most important durable food product for more than half of the world’s population, as it is very nutritious food in terms of carbohydrate containment and can meet a large part of human caloric needs on a daily basis. The sensitivity of a rice product fortified with spearmint or basil was evaluated for three stored product insect species: Sitophilus oryzae (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) (Coleoptera: Bostrychidae) and Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.) (Coleoptera: Silvanidae). Five different containments of fortified rice were used (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% of the total rice quantity), and the population growth of the above species was examined after 65 days. We found that fortification generally reduced the infestation level of the species tested and reduced their population growth, as compared with the control rice. In some of the treatments, there were some differences between the application of spearmint and basil. There was higher frass production in the rice that had been fortified with basil than that with spearmint, indicating different infestation patterns. For S. oryzae, with the gradual increase in fortification, the number of insect-damaged kernels and weight of damaged kernels reduced, and significant differences were recorded between the fortification with spearmint and that with basil. The results of the present study are certainly encouraging for further utilization of the characteristics of fortified rice for stored product insect control. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-harvest Pest and Disease Management)

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13 pages, 315 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Insecticidal Effect of an Enhanced Attapulgite for the Control of Four Stored-Product Beetle Species

by Evagelia Lampiri, Paraskevi Agrafioti, Ioannis Vagelas and Christos G. Athanassiou

Agronomy 2022, 12(7), 1495; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12071495 - 22 Jun 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2108

Abstract

We examined the insecticidal effect of three different dust formulations, which were attapulgite (W), attapulgite mix with oregano essential oil with 52% carvacrol (D1), and attapulgite mix with oregano essential oil with 75% carvacrol (D2), in four major stored-product beetle species, Sitophilus oryzae (L.), Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val, Rhyzopertha dominica (F.), and Trogoderma granarium Everts. Sitophilus oryzae was the most susceptible at all three formulations, followed by T. confusum and R. dominica. In contrast, T. granarium larvae showed the lowest mortality rates even on the 14th day of observation and at the highest concentration (2000 ppm). Progeny production was particularly reduced for all species relative to the controls. Nevertheless, complete suppression of the offspring was observed only in the case of T. confusum and S. oryzae, while R. dominica was less susceptible to all three dust formulations, giving an average of up to 20 individuals per vial at 2000 ppm. To our knowledge, this study is the first that has examined the insecticidal activity of oregano compounds in combination with attapulgite for the control of stored-grain insect species. Additional experimentation is required to indicate the rationale of using these natural resource-based materials under a non-chemical control strategy at the post-harvest stages of agricultural commodities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-harvest Pest and Disease Management)

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27 pages, 1469 KiB

Open AccessReview

Yeast Warriors: Exploring the Potential of Yeasts for Sustainable Citrus Post-Harvest Disease Management

by Rachid Ezzouggari, Jamila Bahhou, Mohammed Taoussi, Najwa Seddiqi Kallali, Kamal Aberkani, Essaid Ait Barka and Rachid Lahlali

Agronomy 2024, 14(2), 288; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14020288 - 27 Jan 2024

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2292

Abstract

Citrus fruits stand as pivotal and extensively cultivated fruit crops on a global scale, boasting substantial economic and nutritional significance. Despite their paramount importance, citrus growers and the industry face a formidable obstacle in the form of post-harvest losses caused by plant pathogens. Effectively addressing this challenge has become imperative. The predominant approach to tackle these pathogens has traditionally involved the use of chemical fungicides. However, the escalating environmental concerns associated with chemical interventions, coupled with a growing consumer preference for pesticide-free produce, have catalyzed an earnest quest for alternative methods of disease control in the citrus industry. The antagonistic yeasts hold great promise as biocontrol agents for mitigating post-harvest fungal diseases in citrus. In this regard, this review summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding the study of yeast strains with biocontrol potential. Thus, the various modes of action employed by these yeasts and their effectiveness against prominent citrus pathogens such as Penicillium digitatum, Penicillium italicum and Geotrichum citri were discussed. Additionally, the review delved into the challenges associated with the practical implementation of yeast-based biocontrol strategies in citrus post-harvest management and investigated the potential of yeast-based approaches to enhance the safety and quality of citrus produce, while reducing the reliance on chemical fungicides and contributing to the sustainable and environmentally responsible future of the citrus industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-harvest Pest and Disease Management)

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