This paper investigates the biodiversity of adult arthropods in two grapevine plantations influenced by two adjacent groves over a three-year period (2020–2022) in the viticultural center of Stefănești Argeș, located in southern Romania. The study holds significant implications for introducing parasitoid/predatory insect species into vineyards to control grapevine pests. A total of 164 arthropod species were identified, including 27 beneficial species. Additionally, two moth species, Lobesia botrana and Sparganothis pilleriana, were identified. L. botrana was consistently observed throughout the study, while S. pilleriana was only observed in 2022. The research reveals that the location with the highest number of identified species was in a grove near a black field, with 103 species. Other areas with notable species diversity included a vineyard maintained as a black field (89 species), a grove near permanent natural grassland (88 species), and a vineyard with intervals between rows of grapevines maintained as natural permanent grassland (81 species). Introducing beneficial organisms, such as the predator Crysoperla carnea, is recommended to control grapevine moths in this ecosystem.

Currently, the management of phytopathogenic agents is an ongoing challenge globally, as they cause major damage in agricultural plantations. However, the use of synthetic pesticides currently in use has negative effects on the environment and on the living organisms that develop their life cycle in these habitats. For this reason, research in the last decade has led to the identification and exploitation of natural compounds with important antifungal properties as natural alternatives to combat and control pathogens. This review is based on the description of plant extracts, essential oils and natural compounds with important anti-fungal properties. However, their direct application to plants is difficult, because their adhesion and persistence in environmental conditions does not allow this fact. The current challenge is to develop formulations based on natural compounds that retain their properties over time in order to be applied to agricultural crops.

This study was carried out to evaluate the in vitro antifungal potential of natural extracts from marc, spontaneous flora plants, and synthetic pesticides. The biological control of pathogens is a modern alternative because does not represent a danger to humans and the environment. Thus, natural alternatives with a fungistatic or fungicidal effect on the pathogen Botrytis cinerea were identified. The results of the in vitro tests clearly indicated a significant inhibitory percentage on the growth rate of the Botrytis cinerea rot mycelium (62.38%), when was used the extract obtained from the Cabernet Sauvignon marc at a concentration of 15%, compared to the other two natural extracts used (Salvia officinalis and Chelidonium majus), where the diameter of the colonies recorded values close to the untreated control variant. Regarding the effect of the synthetic pesticides studied, the best results were recorded with fosetyl-aluminum where a 100% inhibition percentage on the Botrytis cinerea pathogen was recorded.

The pathogens Alternaria solani and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici are of significant interest from a pathogenic perspective in the context of tomato cultivation. This study focuses on evaluating the fungicidal and fungistatic effects of different synthetic substances and natural compounds on the development of these two investigated pathogens. The fungicidal agents employed comprised fosetyl aluminum at a concentration of 0.3%, azoxystrobin at 0.2%, and metiram at 0.3%, while the natural extracts investigated included those derived from European birthwort, celandine and sage, each tested at concentrations of 0.5%, 2%, 9%, and 15%. The assessment of mycelial growth inhibition was conducted utilizing Vincent’s formula. Additionally, the total polyphenol content (TPC) within the extracts was determined via the Folin-Ciocalteu spectrophotometric method in accordance with Frum et al. (2022). Furthermore, the antioxidant capacity of the extracts was evaluated using the DPPH radical scavenging method (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Our research findings yielded noteworthy results, specifically, extracts derived from sage and celandine, particularly when present at a concentration of 15%, exhibited a fungistatic effect. This effect was particularly remarkable when compared to the performance of the synthetic fungicide azoxystrobin at a concentration of 0.2% when challenged with the Alternaria pathogen. These results suggest the potential utility of sage and celandine extracts as eco-friendly alternatives for mitigating fungal pathogens in tomato crops, warranting further investigation and consideration within agricultural practices.