From Sensors to Soil: Intelligent Detection and Sustainable Management of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes and Soil-Borne Pests

Agriculture faces mounting pressure from climate change, emerging pests and pathogens, biodiversity loss, and the demand for safe, sustainable food. Among the most damaging and least visible constraints are soil-borne pests and plant-parasitic nematodes, which cause severe crop losses worldwide and are notoriously hard to detect and manage. Conventional protection relies heavily on chemical nematicides and pesticides that are losing efficacy as resistance spreads, while raising environmental and human-health concerns. The core problem is a broken chain: below-ground detection is slow and laborious, so management decisions are made late and without field-specific information, and sustainable control measures are applied blindly rather than where and when they are needed. Closing this gap, linking timely, accurate detection to targeted, non-chemical action, is now an urgent priority for protecting crops against soil-borne threats.Advances in digital technologies and life sciences make it possible to reconnect this chain end to end. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, remote and proximal soil sensing, biosensors, and decision-support systems now enable real-time monitoring, early detection of below-ground biotic stress, and site-specific management decisions. In parallel, biological and ecological control — beneficial microorganisms, natural antagonists, biopesticides, resistant and tolerant germplasm, cover and trap crops, and soil-health-based suppressiveness — offers environmentally sound alternatives to chemical inputs. This Research Topic deliberately couples the two: using intelligent detection, prediction, and decision tools to direct sustainable biological and ecological interventions against plant-parasitic nematodes and other soil-borne pests. We especially welcome work that closes the loop between sensing and action. The vision is a data-driven, ecologically grounded framework that moves growers from reactive chemical treatment toward proactive, precise, climate-resilient management, safeguarding soil biodiversity and supporting global sustainability goals. We welcome contributions across the full detection-to-action pipeline for soil-borne pests and plant-parasitic nematodes, and particularly encourage submissions that connect a digital tool to a sustainable management outcome. In line with the section’s scope, contributions should address applied sustainable and intelligent phytoprotection; submissions focused primarily on molecular biology or gene expression fall outside its remit. Themes of interest include, but are not limited to:• AI, machine learning, and image analysis for identifying and tracking nematodes and soil-borne pests; remote and proximal soil sensing, IoT, and biosensors for below-ground pest and soil-health monitoring;• Decision-support systems, predictive models, and risk mapping for soil-borne pest management;• Biological control (beneficial microorganisms, natural antagonists, biopesticides), ecological control and soil-health-based suppressiveness, resistant or tolerant germplasm, cover and trap crops;• Precision, site-specific application that reduces chemical inputs, and IPM combining digital tools with biological and ecological levers for climate-resilient cropping systems. Topic editors: Isabel Luci Conceição, Ariadna Giné, Sara Sanchez Moreno Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/83690/from-sensors-to-soil-intelligent-detection-and-sustainable-management-of-plant-parasitic-nematodes-and-soil-borne-pests