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The World population will reach 9 billion by 2050, with the majority of this growth occurring in developing countries. On the other hand, one in nine of the World's population suffers from chronic hunger, the vast majority of which live in developing countries. We therefore need to find new and sustainable solutions to feed this increasing population and alleviate the predicted negative impact of global changes on crop production. This e-Book deals with new strategies to improve food security and livelihoods in rural communities, reduce vulnerability, increase resilience and mitigate lthe impact of climate change and land degradation on agriculture. This collection of 18 articles addresses the major abiotic factors limiting crop production worldwide, how to characterize and exploit the available plant biodiversity to increase production and sustainability in agrosystems, and the use of beneficial microbes to improve production and reduce the use of fertilizers and pesticides.

Biodiversity. --- biofertilizer --- Ecological intensification --- Inoculation --- Climate Change --- intercropping --- drought --- Breeding --- Salinization

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Sustainable agriculture aims to achieve the goal of food security, also maximizing the socio-economic benefits, and minimizing environmental drawbacks. Farming systems mostly relying on ecological processes and the reduced application of external inputs (fertilizers and pesticides), such as organic farming and integrated farming, can even contribute to the mitigation of global warming and of the desertification of soils. Conservation agriculture (CA) is also widely recognized as a farming system able to preserve soils from erosion and nutrient loss, increase soil organic matter and carbon sink capacity, and improve biological and physical fertility. Nevertheless, CA systems generally rely on the large use of agrochemicals (above all, herbicides and fertilizers) in order to sustain crop production, with negative consequences in terms of energy efficiency and environmental impact. This also does not enable an easy transfer of CA techniques into organic and integrated farming systems, a combination that might enhance the environmental benefits of these farming systems. In this regard, this Special Issue deals with the "Smart Management of Conservative, Organic, and Integrated Agriculture". We invited experts and researchers to contribute with original researches, reviews, and opinion pieces covering all topics related to organic, integrated, and conservative farming systems. The published articles concern with the most important aspects of these innovative systems, such as performances of farm machinery and agro-ecological strategies aiming at sustaining crop production whilst reducing the need for agrochemicals.

waste management --- economic evaluation --- biodegradable mulch --- polyethylene --- grapevine --- no-chemical --- organic agriculture --- sucker removal --- Vitis vinifera (L.) --- thermal --- weed management --- organic farming --- mulch --- weed dynamic --- cereal grain cover crop --- roller-crimper --- no-till --- cover crops --- green manure --- organic fertilizers --- carbon dioxide --- methane --- nitrous oxide --- dead mulch --- biodegradable plastic mulch --- conservation agriculture --- tomato --- cultivation systems --- Gliricidia sepium --- leguminous plants --- Leucaena leucocephala --- mineral fertilization --- cinnamon oil --- clove oil --- cover crop termination --- organic herbicides --- roller/crimper --- mulch-based system --- N leaching --- no-till organic system --- intercropping --- ecological intensification --- sustainable agriculture --- climate change mitigation --- cabbage --- fennel --- lettuce --- living mulch --- Mediterranean climate --- minimum tillage --- no-tillage

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The global biodiversity and climate emergencies demand transformative changes to human activities. For example, food production relies on synthetic, industrial and non-sustainable products for managing pests, weeds and diseases of crops. Sustainable farming requires approaches to managing these agricultural constraints that are more environmentally benign and work with rather than against nature. Increasing pressure on synthetic products has reinvigorated efforts to identify alternative pest management options, including plant-based solutions that are environmentally benign and can be tailored to different farmers’ needs, from commercial to small holder and subsistence farming. Botanical insecticides and pesticidal plants can offer a novel, effective and more sustainable alternative to synthetic products for controlling pests, diseases and weeds. This Special Issue reviews and reports the latest developments in plant-based pesticides from identification of bioactive plant chemicals, mechanisms of activity and validation of their use in horticulture and disease vector control. Other work reports applications in rice weeds, combination biopesticides and how chemistry varies spatially and influences the effectiveness of botanicals in different locations. Three reviews assess wider questions around the potential of plant-based pest management to address the global challenges of new, invasive and established crop pests and as-yet underexploited pesticidal plants.

antifeedant --- encapsulation --- induced systemic response --- corn --- barnyard grass --- rutin --- deguelin --- botanical pesticides --- insect behavior --- organic farming --- aphids --- leaf disc assay --- Melia volkensii --- rotenoids --- botanicals --- entomopathogenic fungi --- anise --- oil emulsion entrapment --- integrated pest management --- sesquiterpene --- botanical pesticide --- pest management --- neem --- insecticidal activity --- insect pest --- insects --- resistance --- biopesticide --- Tetranychus urticae --- karanja --- Colorado potato beetle --- essential oils --- Y-tube olfactometer --- parasitoid --- pests --- chemotype 3 --- limonoid --- prospects --- pyrethrum --- botanical insecticides --- weed control --- cover crops --- agro-ecological intensification --- spatial-temporal variation --- survival analysis --- Senecio fistulosus --- organic pesticide --- synergism --- growth inhibitor --- biopesticides --- tryptophan --- acaricide --- pyrrolizidine alkaloid --- phytotoxic activity --- phenylalanine --- rice --- Meliaceae --- invasive species --- botanical active substances --- structure-activity relationships --- pesticidal plant --- fennel --- spray drying --- foliar fertiliser --- sustainable agriculture --- Italian ryegrass