Message from the Guest Editors

Disease  and  pest  management  in  many  crops  may  be really challenging. As harvest  time approaches,   farmers have limited alternatives to chemical control in order to avoid chemical residues in the produce. At this point, especially, fruits with high sugar content,  such as grapes, become   more   susceptible  to   post-harvest   pests   and diseases, e.g., fungi causing rot, adding an extra challenge in the  puzzle of crop  protection. Another problem  that farmers need to overcome is the resistance that pests and pathogens  develop in pesticides, along with the small number  of chemical products  that  can be used legally in many countries. The attractive alternative strategy, in order to avoid chemical residues in fruits and vegetables, is biological control. In addition, when it comes  to cankers and vascular diseases, things are getting even more intriguing as  chemical control  strategies are  not  always available or efficient and, often, the only available means is prevention. Therefore, this Special Issue welcomes articles that  address  sound  tools  helping to  reduce  the  use  of synthetic chemical pesticides and promote sustainable agriculture in woody crops.

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