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We provide a one-stop online platform, namely, dsRNAEngineer, to help users optimize dsRNA for RNAi-based pest control.dsRNAEngineer incorporates a range of pest and non-pest species to enable large-scale transcriptome-level analysis for dsRNA design.dsRNAEngineer contains four functionalities, namely, screen-target, on-target, off-target, and multiple-target functions, to design rational dsRNAs that sufficiently target pests but are safe for non-target organisms. Over the past two decades, many double-stranded (ds)-RNAs have been synthesized to silence target genes for exploration of gene functions in pests. Some of these dsRNAs are lethal to pests, leading to a new category of pesticides. The generation of these environmentally friendly pesticides requires precise in silico design of dsRNA molecules that target pests but not non-pest organisms. Current efforts in dsRNA design focus mainly on the analysis of the target gene sequence, lacking comprehensive analysis of all transcripts of the whole transcriptome per given species, causing low efficiency and imprecise dsRNA target exploration. To address these limitations, we created the dsRNAEngineer online platform (https://dsrna-engineer.cn), which allows comprehensive and rational dsRNA design, incorporating hundreds of pest and non-pest transcriptomes. Developed functionalities include screen-target (screen conserved genes for cotargets of various pest species), on-target, off-target, and multi-target to generate optimal dsRNA for precise pest control. [Display omitted] dsRNAEngineer incorporates hundreds of pest and non-pest transcriptomes to provide comprehensive dsRNA design for pest control. With the application of several RNA-based pesticides in the field, dsRNAEngineer illustrates a framework for designing pest-specific and biosafe dsRNA, which will greatly promote the development of RNAi biotechnology as a pest control strategy. Over the past two decades, RNAi biotechnology has been intensively investigated for pest control, and several products have been registered and applied in the field. However, current methods of double-stranded (ds)RNA design lack a comprehensive analysis of all transcripts at the transcriptome level for both pest and non-pest species. To solve these problems, our timely developed tool, dsRNAEngineer (https://dsrna-engineer.cn), which has four functionalities (screen-target, on-target, off-target, and multi-target functions) was developed to help users design rational dsRNAs that sufficiently target pests but are otherwise safe for non-target organisms, based on large-scale transcriptome-level analysis of both pest and non-pest species. With the emergence of RNA pesticides, we believe that dsRNAEngineer can be considered as a gold standard in dsRNA design to promote pest control based on RNAi biotechnology.

Okra ( Abelmoschus esculentus ) is a prominent vegetable crop in Asia, confronting persistent threats from pests such as leafhoppers, whiteflies, and shoot and fruit borers. Conventional chemical control methods, despite their adverse ecological effects, remain the primary approach for pest management. Indiscriminate chemical use has led to reduced biodiversity among natural predators and the disruption of food webs in ecosystems. To address these challenges, this study assessed the efficacy of integrated (IM) and biointensive (BM) pest management modules in comparison to conventional chemical methods (CM) for mitigating insect damage to okra leaves and fruits, and subsequently, their impact on okra yield. Our result revealed that the BM exhibited the least effectiveness but outperformed untreated control plots significantly. In contrast, both IM and CM significantly reduced damage from sap-sucking insects and borer pests. Notably, plots treated with the chemical module found decreased populations of natural enemies. The IM demonstrated the lowest fruit infestation rate (5.06%), yielding the highest crop production (8.97 t ha −1 ), along with the maximum net return (Indian Rupees: 44,245) and incremental cost–benefit ratio (3.31). Thus, the study suggested that the implementation of integrated pest management practices can result in higher okra yields and greater economic benefits. These findings shed light on the potential of sustainable agricultural practices as a safer and more economically viable alternative to chemical-intensive pest control in okra cultivation.

Future trajectories of agricultural productivity need to incorporate environmental targets, including the reduction of pesticides use. Landscape features supporting natural pest control (LF-NPC) offer a nature-based solution that can serve as a partial substitute for synthetic pesticides, thereby supporting future productivity levels. Here, we introduce a novel approach to quantify the contribution of LF-NPC to agricultural yields and its associated economic value to crop production in a broad-scale context. Using the European Union as case study, we combine granular farm-level data, a spatially explicit map of LF-NPC potential, and a regional agro-economic supply and market model. The results reveal that farms located in areas characterized by higher LF-NPC potential experience lower productivity losses in a context of reduced synthetic pesticides use. Our analysis suggests that LF-NPC reduces yield gaps on average by four percentage points, and increases income by a similar magnitude. These results highlight the significance of LF-NPC for agricultural production and income, and provide a valuable reference point for farmers and policymakers aiming to successfully invest in landscape features to achieve pesticides reduction targets.

The idea that noncrop habitat enhances pest control and represents a win–win opportunity to conserve biodiversity and bolster yields has emerged as an agroecological paradigm. However, while noncrop habitat in landscapes surrounding farms sometimes benefits pest predators, natural enemy responses remain heterogeneous across studies and effects on pests are inconclusive. The observed heterogeneity in species responses to noncrop habitat may be biological in origin or could result from variation in how habitat and biocontrol are measured. Here, we use a pest-control database encompassing 132 studies and 6,759 sites worldwide to model natural enemy and pest abundances, predation rates, and crop damage as a function of landscape composition. Our results showed that although landscape composition explained significant variation within studies, pest and enemy abundances, predation rates, crop damage, and yields each exhibited different responses across studies, sometimes increasing and sometimes decreasing in landscapes with more noncrop habitat but overall showing no consistent trend. Thus, models that used landscape-composition variables to predict pest-control dynamics demonstrated little potential to explain variation across studies, though prediction did improve when comparing studies with similar crop and landscape features. Overall, our work shows that surrounding noncrop habitat does not consistently improve pest management, meaning habitat conservation may bolster production in some systems and depress yields in others. Future efforts to develop tools that inform farmers when habitat conservation truly represents a win–win would benefit from increased understanding of how landscape effects are modulated by local farm management and the biology of pests and their enemies.

In the mid-20th century, food production from agriculture sharply increased worldwide; however, this was achieved through heavy use of agrochemicals. Extensive collateral damage from excessive use of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers has occurred to the wider environment. This has led to biodiversity loss, pesticide resistance and the emergence of new pests, pollution and decline of freshwater supplies, and soil degradation and erosion, as well as direct harm to health. In a Review, Pretty examines the alternative approaches that can achieve sustainable intensification of farming systems by integrating pest management with agroecological systems to minimize costs, maximize yields, restore ecosystem services, and ensure environmental enhancement. Science , this issue p. eaav0294 Redesign of agricultural systems is essential to deliver optimum outcomes as ecological and economic conditions change. The combination of agricultural processes in which production is maintained or increased, while environmental outcomes are enhanced, is currently known as sustainable intensification (SI). SI aims to avoid the cultivation of more land, and thus avoid the loss of unfarmed habitats, but also aims to increase overall system performance without net environmental cost. For example, large changes are now beginning to occur to maximize biodiversity by means of integrated pest management, pasture and forage management, the incorporation of trees into agriculture, and irrigation management, and with small and patch systems. SI is central to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations and to wider efforts to improve global food and nutritional security.

In augmentative biological control (ABC), invertebrate and microbial organisms are seasonally released in large numbers to reduce pests. Today it is applied on more than 30 million ha worldwide. Europe is the largest commercial market for invertebrate biological control agents, while North America has the largest sales of microbials. A strong growth in use of ABC, particularly of microbial agents, is taking place in Latin America, followed by Asia. The current popularity of ABC is due to (1) its inherent positive characteristics (healthier for farm workers and persons living in farming communities, no harvesting interval or waiting period after release of agents, sustainable as there is no development of resistance against arthropod natural enemies, no phytotoxic damage to plants, better yields and a healthier product, reduced pesticide residues [well below the legal Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs)], (2) professionalism of the biological control industry (inexpensive large scale mass production, proper quality control, efficient packaging, distribution and release methods, and availability of many (>440 species) control agents for numerous pests), (3) a number of recent successes showing how biological control can save agricultural production when pesticides fail or are not available, (4) several non-governmental organizations (NGOs), consumers, and retailers demanding pesticide residues far below the legal MRLs, and (5) policy developments in several regions of the world aimed at reduction and replacement of synthetic pesticides by more sustainable methods of pest management. We are convinced, however, that ABC can be applied on a much larger area than it is today. We plead in the short term for a pragmatic form of agriculture that is adaptable, non-dogmatic and combines the sustainability gain from all types of agriculture and pest management methods. We then propose to move to “conscious agriculture”, which involves participation of all stakeholders in the production and consumer chain, and respects the environment and resource availability for future generations. Were “conscious agriculture” to be considered a serious alternative to conventional farming, ABC would face an even brighter future.

The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), has invaded most Afro-Eurasian countries and is threatening worldwide tomato production. Various strategies have been developed and implemented to manage this pest. Here, we present a timely review on the up-to-date development and practical implementation of integrated pest management (IPM) programs for tomato crops across different world regions infested by T. absoluta . While insecticide resistance is a growing concern, biological control via releasing or conserving arthropod natural enemies and sex pheromone-based biotechnical control are the most successful management practices. Agronomic control-related research is an emerging area where the soil fertilization and/or irrigation, as well as breeding of resistant cultivars, has the potential to enhance IPM effectiveness. Grower survey responses in the native areas (i.e., South America), early-invaded areas (i.e., first report between 2006 and 2012) and newly invaded areas (i.e., first report after 2012) showed that the control programs evolved along with the areas and time since invasion. Growers in the early-invaded areas shifted more rapidly from chemical control to biological control compared to those from the native area. In all concerned regions, the pest control failure risk following chemical insecticide applications and the high cost associated with either biological or biotechnical control methods have been the greatest concerns for growers. The information gathered from the native and/or early-invaded areas may help achieve a more effective management in newly invaded areas. Lastly, researchers are expected to break the bottlenecks of some key issues that would enable lowering application cost of novel biorational alternative management options.

Insecticides and genetically modified Bt crops are the main tools for control of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith). Since its invasion of Africa, the Far East, and Australia where Bt crops are largely absent, insecticide use has increased and reduced susceptibility to several insecticides used for decades in its native distribution area have been reported. Poor efficacy at field-level is sometimes incorrectly ascribed to pest resistance, while numerous other factors influence efficacy at field-level. In this paper, we review the history of insecticide resistance in S. frugiperda and discuss the influence that life history traits, migration ecology, and chemical control practices may have on control efficacy and resistance evolution. The indirect role that poor national policies have on pesticide use practices, and indirectly on control efficacy and selection pressure is discussed. Evidence shows that local selection for resistance drives resistance evolution. Integrated pest management, rather than reliance on a single tactic, is the best way to suppress S. frugiperda numbers and the over-use of insecticides which selects for resistance.

Baculoviruses represent a promising group of microbial insecticides for the biological control of agricultural pests, particularly those within the order Lepidoptera. Their high host specificity and environmental safety make them ideal candidates for inclusion in integrated pest management (IPM) programs. This review presents a comprehensive overview of baculovirus biology, highlighting their infection mechanisms, selectivity, and ecological compatibility. Special attention is given to advances in mass production systems—both in vivo and in vitro—and formulation technologies that improve field efficacy and environmental persistence, including UV protectants and microencapsulation. Regulatory aspects are also discussed, comparing international approval pathways and highlighting the disparity between regions with supportive policies (e.g., Latin America, Asia) and those with more restrictive frameworks (e.g., the European Union). Additionally, the current global market landscape for baculovirus-based products is examined, with emphasis on recent growth, commercialized formulations, and challenges such as host resistance and the limited spectrum of action. By synthesizing findings from the scientific literature and industry reports, this review underscores the role of baculoviruses as effective, sustainable alternatives or complements to chemical insecticides in modern agriculture, contributing to the reduction in pesticide residues and environmental impact.

Arthropod pest outbreaks are unpredictable and not uniformly distributed within fields. Early outbreak detection and treatment application are inherent to effective pest management, allowing management decisions to be implemented before pests are well-established and crop losses accrue. Pest monitoring is time-consuming and may be hampered by lack of reliable or cost-effective sampling techniques. Thus, we argue that an important research challenge associated with enhanced sustainability of pest management in modern agriculture is developing and promoting improved crop monitoring procedures. Biotic stress, such as herbivory by arthropod pests, elicits physiological defense responses in plants, leading to changes in leaf reflectance. Advanced imaging technologies can detect such changes, and can, therefore, be used as noninvasive crop monitoring methods. Furthermore, novel methods of treatment precision application are required. Both sensing and actuation technologies can be mounted on equipment moving through fields (e.g., irrigation equipment), on (un)manned driving vehicles, and on small drones. In this review, we focus specifically on use of small unmanned aerial robots, or small drones, in agricultural systems. Acquired and processed canopy reflectance data obtained with sensing drones could potentially be transmitted as a digital map to guide a second type of drone, actuation drones, to deliver solutions to the identified pest hotspots, such as precision releases of natural enemies and/or precision-sprays of pesticides. We emphasize how sustainable pest management in 21st-century agriculture will depend heavily on novel technologies, and how this trend will lead to a growing need for multi-disciplinary research collaborations between agronomists, ecologists, software programmers, and engineers.