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Crop Pest Management Based on Ecological Principles

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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 May 2022) | Viewed by 14306

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. George G. Kennedy

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Guest Editor

Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
Interests: arthropod-plant interactions; pest management (IPM); plant-virus-vector interactions; resistance management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The integrated pest management (IPM) concept has long provided the framework for crop protection. It rests on a solid foundation of ecological principles and emphasizes integration of practices that maximize environmental resistance (abiotic and biotic) to pest population growth and minimize risk of pest damage through cultural practices in conjunction with pest and crop monitoring and threshold-based decision aids to determine the need for pesticide applications. Agricultural production systems are undergoing rapid change in response to challenges posed by increasing global demand, rapid and widespread introduction of powerful new technologies, societal demands for environmentally sustainable crop production practices that preserve ecosystem services and maximize food safety, and the need to both mitigate and accommodate effects of climate change. These changes are altering cropping patterns and agricultural landscapes as well as water, nutrient, and weed management in ways that profoundly impact pest and beneficial arthropod populations. At the same time, advances in research, technology, and data analytics are greatly expanding the tools available to monitor and manage crop pests. The impacts of these changes and advances transcend production paradigms (conventional, sustainable, organic) and present new challenges and opportunities to advance crop pest management in ways that inform and enhance the ability of agriculture to meet changing demands. This Special Issue will examine current and anticipated applications and impacts of advances in research, technology, and data analytics on integrated crop pest management with particular focus on arthropod pests in the context of advancing agricultural productivity and sustainability. Research papers, review articles focusing on recent advances, and papers presenting perspectives on existing and emerging challenges and solutions are welcome.

Prof. Dr. George G. Kennedy
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

biotechnology
plant-insect-microbe interactions
plant-incorporated protectants
biological and cultural controls
pesticide technology
pest monitoring and diagnostics
pest-risk modeling and decision aids
information technology and data analytics
ecosystem services
farm-level and area-wide pest management

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 1760 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Reducing Synthetic Chemical Inputs on Pest and Disease Management in Commercial Onion Production Systems

by Karly H. Regan and Brian A. Nault

Agronomy 2022, 12(6), 1292; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy12061292 - 28 May 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3131

Abstract

Onion production is reliant on synthetic chemical inputs such as fertilizer and pesticides to ensure its profitability. In the Great Lakes region (USA), onion thrips (Thrips tabaci) and a complex of bacterial pathogens that cause bulb rot disease threaten the sustainability of onion production. The potential exists for reducing T. tabaci infestations and bulb rot disease incidence in onions by decreasing the amounts of fertilizer applied at planting and the insecticide applied to foliage during the season. In a three-year study that included 20 New York commercial onion fields, the impact of synthetic fertilizer (no fertilizer, half rate, and full rate) and insecticide use (action threshold-based application program and weekly application program) on T. tabaci populations and bulb rot disease incidence was examined. Results indicated that the amount of fertilizer applied to an onion at planting had no impact on T. tabaci population levels, bulb rot disease incidence, or onion bulb size and yield. In contrast, insecticide use had the greatest impact on reducing T. tabaci densities. Both the action threshold-based program and weekly spray program reduced T. tabaci infestation levels below the economic injury level, but the action threshold program averaged 2.3 fewer applications per season. The insecticide program had no effect on bulb rot incidence, bulb size, or yield. We conclude that synthetic fertilizer and insecticide inputs can be reduced substantially without compromising onion bulb yields, and this should lead to greater profits and a reduction of chemicals in the environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crop Pest Management Based on Ecological Principles)

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16 pages, 2795 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Red Harvester Ant (Pogonomyrmex barbatus F. Smith; Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Preference for Cover Crop Seeds in South Texas

by Lilly Victoria Elliott-Vidaurri, Daniela Rivera, Adrian Noval, Robin A. Choudhury and Hannah J. Penn

Agronomy 2022, 12(5), 1099; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy12051099 - 30 Apr 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2489

Abstract

Harvester ants often selectively forage seeds, causing these ants to be viewed as pests in agricultural areas where they may forage on crop seeds. While little research has been done on harvester ant preferences for cover crop seeds, grower observations in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) suggest that ants may remove these seeds before germination. We examined red harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex barbatus F. Smith) preferences for cover crop seeds (fescue, oat, sunn hemp, radish, vetch, and wheatgrass) and the effects of a commonly used bacterial seed inoculant. We evaluated relative preferences using seed depots presented to colonies with no prior exposure to the selected seeds or inoculants. After 24 h, ants had removed oat and radish seeds at the same rate as the preferred wheatgrass control. Fescue, sunn hemp, and vetch seeds were less preferred. The bacterial inoculation of wheatgrass and radish seeds did not alter the removal rates. Further, ant removal of seeds in both trials was dependent on the month and temperature, indicating potential interactions of colony activity levels, availability of seeds in the seed bank, and the intensity of cover crop seed removal. Together, these data indicate that harvester ant foraging preferences and seasonal activity should be considered to help mitigate potential ant predation of cover crops via planting less preferred seeds and at times of lower ant foraging intensity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crop Pest Management Based on Ecological Principles)

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11 pages, 304 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Adoption and Profitability of the Purdue Improved Crop Storage Technology for Grain Storage in the South-Central Regions of Niger

by Mahamane Moctar Rabé, Ibrahim B. Baoua and Dieudonne Baributsa

Agronomy 2021, 11(12), 2470; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11122470 - 03 Dec 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2564

Abstract

Cowpea is a food security crop and a main source of income for farmers in Niger. However, postharvest storage remains a major challenge due to insect pest attacks. Since 2008, the Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags were disseminated in Niger to reduce storage losses. This study was conducted to assess the adoption of the PICS technology in the Dosso, Maradi, and Zinder regions of Niger. We interviewed 600 households selected from villages that did and did not benefit from PICS extension activities. A logit regression model was used to assess the decision of farmers to adopt the PICS technology. The overall adoption of the PICS bags among farmers was 48.4%. PICS adoption was 69.7% in Dosso, 41.3% in Zinder, and 31.2% in Maradi. Farmers who attended PICS training were 5 times more likely to adopt the technology than those who did not. Variables that affected the adoption of the PICS technology included the region, participation in PICS training, and information source. Beyond cowpea, PICS bags were used to store a variety of crops including Bambara nuts, hibiscus seeds, peanuts, millet, and sorghum. Storing 100 kg of cowpea in a PICS bag generated a cash flow of $70.38 per respondent and a net return of $21.50. Revenues generated from sales of cowpea stored in PICS bags were mostly used for health expenditures and to purchase agricultural inputs. Results of this study demonstrate that pest management technologies such as PICS bags can also contribute to improving the livelihood of family farms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crop Pest Management Based on Ecological Principles)

15 pages, 1682 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Sinapis alba L. as an Insectary Plant on the Occurrence of Aphis fabae Scop., Coccinellidae and Syrphidae in Broad Bean

by Janina Gospodarek

Agronomy 2021, 11(11), 2202; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11112202 - 30 Oct 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1345

Abstract

Introducing insectary plants along with principal crops is an effective way to increase the biological diversity of beneficial insects and improve the stability of ecological equilibrium in agrocenoses and could be an alternative to chemical plant protection, particularly in organic farming. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of white mustard as a companion plant in broad bean cultivation on the occurrence of Aphis fabae Scop., Syrphidae, and Coccinellidae. The study also aimed at finding the optimum row separation of broad bean plants. It also evaluated the effectiveness of the thinning of mustard in a specific time to eliminate excessive competition with the main crop. The results showed that white mustard contributed to visible suppression of A. fabae abundance on broad bean (to the level similar as with the use of chemical protection). S. alba contributed to an increased abundance of hoverflies and lady beetles on broad bean despite the relatively low abundance of their prey, i.e., aphids. Mustard thinning positively affected abundance of larvae and adults of lady beetles as well as improved predator-prey ratio for hoverfly larvae and adult lady beetles. The most appropriate distance between broad bean rows when white mustard was introduced was 65 cm, with the concomitant conduct of mustard thinning when the broad bean plants reached flower bud formation. White mustard can be recommended as an element increasing the role of natural enemies of aphids in mixed crops, however, its strong growth should be taken into account and the plant density should be properly adjusted to avoid excessive competition with main plant. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crop Pest Management Based on Ecological Principles)

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Review

Jump to: Research

13 pages, 1678 KiB

Open AccessReview

Ecological Engineering for Rice Insect Pest Management: The Need to Communicate Widely, Improve Farmers’ Ecological Literacy and Policy Reforms to Sustain Adoption

by Kong-Luen Heong, Zhong-Xian Lu, Ho-Van Chien, Monina Escalada, Josef Settele, Zeng-Rong Zhu and Jia-An Cheng

Agronomy 2021, 11(11), 2208; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11112208 - 30 Oct 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3832

Abstract

Ecological engineering (EE) involves the design and management of human systems based on ecological principles to maximize ecosystem services and minimize external inputs. Pest management strategies have been developed but farmer adoption is lacking and unsustainable. EE practices need to be socially acceptable and it requires shifts in social norms of rice farmers. In many countries where pesticides are being marketed as “fast moving consumer goods” (FMCG) it is a big challenge to shift farmers’ loss-averse attitudes. Reforms in pesticide marketing policies are required. An entertainment education TV series was able to reach wider audience to improve farmers’ ecological literacy, shifting beliefs and practices. To sustain adoption of ecologically based practices organizational structures, incentives systems and communication strategies to support the new norms and practices are needed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crop Pest Management Based on Ecological Principles)

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