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Application of Plant Metabolites and Extracts as Biopesticides in Controlling...
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Application of Plant Metabolites and Extracts as Biopesticides in Controlling Pests and Weeds

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Protection and Biotic Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 October 2023) | Viewed by 8701

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Sara María Palacios

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Independent Researcher, Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Avenida Armada Argentina 3555, Córdoba CPA X5016DHK, Argentina
Interests: phytochemicals; plant extracts; biopesticides; insecticides; herbicides
Dr. Alejandro Urzua

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Ciencias de Recursos Naturales, Universidad de La Frontera, Av. Francisco Salazar 01145, Temuco 4811230, Chile
2. Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
Interests: plant essential oil; secondary metabolites; biological activity; insecticide

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is well known that insects and weeds hinder the cultivation of food plants, so there is always a need to control them. Agriculture has become technological to such an extent that the use of insecticides and herbicides has become an obligatory tool. In general, synthetic insecticides and herbicides are highly effective but have many undesirable health and environmental consequences. From a chemical point of view, we can say that only natural substances have the potential to be used as insecticides and herbicides without major environmental problems. In this sense, plants are a great source of substances with these activities. For this reason, a continuous discovery of bioactive substances is necessary, as well as a detailed analysis of the possibilities of their application, commercialization, and supply, both for complete extracts and for active principles. This Special Issue aims to contribute to the discovery of new natural insecticides or herbicides as well as analysis and perspective of their application.

Main Topics

  1. Plant metabolites against insect pests
  2. Plant metabolites against germination and development of weed
  3. Synergic combination of plant extracts or metabolites for better insecticide action
  4. Synergic combination of plant extracts or metabolites for better weed control
  5. Non target effects of natural insecticides or natural herbicides
  6. Field trials of plant extracts as insecticides
  7. Field trials of plant extracts as weed controllers

Dr. Sara María Palacios
Dr. Alejandro Urzua
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. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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

  • insecticide
  • phytotoxin
  • nontarget effects
  • field trials

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 6434 KiB  
Article
The Aqueous Extract of Brassica oleracea L. Exerts Phytotoxicity by Modulating H2O2 and O2− Levels, Antioxidant Enzyme Activity and Phytohormone Levels
by Yu Wang, Yuanzheng Zhao, Baozhu Dong, Dong Wang, Jianxiu Hao, Xinyu Jia, Yuxi Zhao, Yin Nian and Hongyou Zhou
Plants 2023, 12(17), 3086; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12173086 - 28 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1276
Abstract
Allelopathic interactions between plants serve as powerful tools for weed control. Despite the increasing understanding of the allelopathic mechanisms between different plant species, the inhibitory effects of B. oleracea on weed growth remain poorly understood. In this study, we conducted experiments to demonstrate [...] Read more.
Allelopathic interactions between plants serve as powerful tools for weed control. Despite the increasing understanding of the allelopathic mechanisms between different plant species, the inhibitory effects of B. oleracea on weed growth remain poorly understood. In this study, we conducted experiments to demonstrate that B. oleracea extract can suppress the germination of Panicum miliaceum L.varruderale Kit. seeds as well as of the roots, shoots and hypocotyl elongation of P. miliaceum seedlings. Furthermore, we observed that B. oleracea extract reduced the levels of hydrogen peroxide and superoxide anion in the roots while increasing the activities of catalase and ascorbate peroxidase. In the shoots, B. oleracea extract enhanced the activities of superoxide dismutase and peroxidase. Moreover, the use of the extract led to an increase in the content of phytohormones (indole-3-acetic acid, indole-3-acetaldehyde, methyl indole-3-acetate, N6-isoPentenyladenosine, dihydrozeatin-7-glucoside, abscisic acid and abscisic acid glucose ester) in P. miliaceum seedlings. Interestingly, the aqueous extract contained auxins and their analogs, which inhibited the germination and growth of P. miliaceum. This may contribute to the mechanism of the B. oleracea-extract-induced suppression of P. miliaceum growth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Plant Metabolites and Extracts as Biopesticides in Controlling Pests and Weeds)
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21 pages, 5112 KiB  
Article
Chemical Composition of Essential Oils from Eight Tunisian Eucalyptus Species and Their Antifungal and Herbicidal Activities
by Amira Ayed, Flavio Polito, Hedi Mighri, Mouna Souihi, Lucia Caputo, Lamia Hamrouni, Ismail Amri, Filomena Nazzaro, Vincenzo De Feo, Ann M. Hirsch and Yassine Mabrouk
Plants 2023, 12(17), 3068; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12173068 - 26 Aug 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2042
Abstract
Eucalyptus species are known to produce metabolites such as essential oils (EOs) that play an important role in the control of weeds, pests and phytopathogenic fungi. The aims of this study were as follows: (i) to determine the chemical composition of the EOs [...] Read more.
Eucalyptus species are known to produce metabolites such as essential oils (EOs) that play an important role in the control of weeds, pests and phytopathogenic fungi. The aims of this study were as follows: (i) to determine the chemical composition of the EOs derived from eight Eucalyptus species growing in Tunisia, and (ii) to study their possible antifungal and herbicidal activities. EOs were obtained by hydrodistillation from the dried leaves of eight Eucalyptus species, namely, E. angulosa, E. cladocalyx, E. diversicolor, E. microcoryx, E. ovata, E. resinifera, E. saligna and E. sargentii, and the determination of their composition was achieved by GC and GC-MS. The EOs’ antifungal activities were tested against four Fusarium strains, and the EOs’ herbicidal properties were evaluated on the germination and seedling growth of three annual weeds (Trifolium campestre, Lolium rigidum and Sinapis arvensis) and three cultivated crop species (Lepidium sativum, Raphanus sativus and Triticum durum). The EO yields ranged between 0.12 and 1.32%. The most abundant components found were eucalyptol, α-pinene, p-cymene, trans-pinocarveol, α-terpineol and globulol. All EOs showed significant antifungal activity against the four phytopathogenic Fusarium strains. E. cladocalyx EO exhibited the highest level of antifungal activity, and the greatest inhibition of seed germination was obtained even at lowest concentrations used. These findings suggested that E. resinifera, E. ovata and E. cladocalyx EOs could have applications in agriculture as possible biopesticides, as Fusarium antagonists and as bioherbicides. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Plant Metabolites and Extracts as Biopesticides in Controlling Pests and Weeds)
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13 pages, 2918 KiB  
Article
The Allelopathic Effects of Trewia nudiflora Leaf Extracts and Its Identified Substances
by Mst. Rokeya Khatun, Shunya Tojo, Toshiaki Teruya and Hisashi Kato-Noguchi
Plants 2023, 12(6), 1375; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12061375 - 20 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2246
Abstract
Trewia nudiflora Linn. is a woody plant of the Euphorbiaceae family. It is well known for its use as a folk remedy, but its potential for phytotoxicity has not been explored. Therefore, this study investigated the allelopathic potential and the allelopathic substances in [...] Read more.
Trewia nudiflora Linn. is a woody plant of the Euphorbiaceae family. It is well known for its use as a folk remedy, but its potential for phytotoxicity has not been explored. Therefore, this study investigated the allelopathic potential and the allelopathic substances in T. nudiflora leaves. The aqueous methanol extract of T. nudiflora was found to have a toxic effect on the plants used in the experiment. The shoot and root development of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and foxtail fescue (Vulpia myuros L.) were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) reduced by the T. nudiflora extracts. The growth inhibition by the T. nudiflora extracts was proportional to the extract concentration and varied with the test plant species. The chromatographic separation of the extracts resulted in the isolation of two substances, identified as loliolide and 6,7,8-trimethoxycoumarin based on their respective spectral analyses. Both substances significantly inhibited lettuce growth at a concentration of 0.01 mM. To inhibit 50% of the growth of the lettuce, the required concentration of loliolide was 0.043 to 0.128 mM, while that of 6,7,8-trimethoxycoumarin was 0.028 to 0.032 mM. Comparing these values, the lettuce growth was more sensitive to 6,7,8-trimethoxycoumarin than loliolide, suggesting that 6,7,8-trimethoxycoumarin was more effective than loliolide. Therefore, the inhibition of the growth of the lettuce and foxtail fescue suggests that loliolide and 6,7,8-trimethoxycoumarin are responsible for the phytotoxicity of the T. nudiflora leaf extracts. Thus, the growth-inhibitory effectiveness of the T. nudiflora extracts and the identified loliolide and 6,7,8-trimethoxycoumarin may be used to develop bioherbicides that restrict the growth of weeds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Plant Metabolites and Extracts as Biopesticides in Controlling Pests and Weeds)
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Review

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15 pages, 357 KiB  
Review
Medicinal Plants as a Natural Greener Biocontrol Approach to “The Grain Destructor” Maize Weevil (Sitophilus zeamais) Motschulsky
by Ompelege Jacqueline Phokwe and Madira Coutlyne Manganyi
Plants 2023, 12(13), 2505; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12132505 - 30 Jun 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2410
Abstract
According to the United Nations (UN), the global population may skyrocket to 9.8 billion people in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100, placing an overwhelming burden on food security as the world will have to meet this growing demand. Maize is the largest [...] Read more.
According to the United Nations (UN), the global population may skyrocket to 9.8 billion people in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100, placing an overwhelming burden on food security as the world will have to meet this growing demand. Maize is the largest staple grain crop produced in developing countries. The maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais, is one of the most destructive post-harvest pests of stored cereals and grains. The maize weevil contributes up to 40% of total food-grain losses during storage, mainly in developing countries. Current synthetic pesticides are ineffective, and, moreover, they raise serious environmental safety concerns as well as consumer health hazards. Drawing from past oversights and current environmental realities and projections, the global population has been switching to green living by developing sustainable strategies. In our context, these new greener strategies include the utilization of medicinal plants to control maize weevil infestation, which unlocks unlimited innovative possibilities, and, thus, improves the yield, quality, and safety of maize. Medicinal plants are less toxic, easily biodegradable, and capable of protecting grain from pests. This paper systematically outlines the literature on host plants as well as the feeding and associated diseases of the maize weevil. In light of this, we cement medicinal plants as excellent candidates in the pursuit of greener, sustainable, more potent, and cost-effective pesticides. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Plant Metabolites and Extracts as Biopesticides in Controlling Pests and Weeds)
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