Ilias Travlos’s research while affiliated with Agricultural University of Athens and other places

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Publications (97)


Digital Tools and Decision Support Systems in Agroecology: Benefits, Challenges, and Practical Implementations
  • Article
  • Full-text available

January 2025

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31 Reads

Agronomy

Dimitra Petraki

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Metaxia Kokkini

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[...]

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Ilias Travlos

Farmers are increasingly faced with challenges such as climate change, population growth, and the need for sustainable food production, while simultaneously having to address the environmental impacts of conventional agriculture. Agroecology has emerged as a holistic and sustainable approach to agriculture, integrating environmental, social, and economic principles. This study investigates the role of digital tools, including decision support systems (DSSs), in supporting agroecological transitions. Through a literature review and analysis of case studies, this paper examines the benefits and challenges associated with the adoption of digital tools in agroecology, highlighting their potential to promote sustainable practices such as soil and water management, pest control, and efficient resource use. The findings indicate that while digital solutions offer significant potential to enhance productivity and improve environmental outcomes, their adoption remains limited due to barriers such as low digital literacy, lack of infrastructure, and concerns about effectiveness in real-world farming conditions. Despite these challenges, digital solutions offer significant potential to enhance productivity, improve environmental outcomes, and support farmers’ decision-making. To comprehensively understand their benefits, a holistic approach is necessary, combining digital tools with hands-on training, policy support, and ongoing research. This paper highlights the role of digital tools in agroecology, explores their benefits and challenges, and discusses the need for continued research to assess their long-term potential in terms of the agroecological transition.

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Figure 2. Documents published annually on fungal bioherbicides, based on a literature review in the Scopus database from 2000 to 2024.
Indicative effects of potential fungal bioherbicides on weeds.
The combination of synthetic herbicides and potential fungal bioherbicides for effective weed control.
Agroecological Weed Management and the Potential Role of Fungi-Based Bioherbicides in Conservation: Advantages, Applications and Future Prospects

December 2024

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39 Reads

Conservation

Recently, there has been growing interest by farmers and researchers in various agroecological approaches enhancing biodiversity and conservation including the use of natural herbicides derived from fungi to provide adequate weed control. This change is driven by growing concerns about herbicide resistance, environmental impacts and regulatory requirements. This review summarizes the results of various studies and highlights the efficacy and benefits of fungal bioherbicides in weed control. Fungi-based bioherbicides utilize the natural weed suppression capability of selected fungi to reduce weed density and competitiveness without completely eradicating the plants and such an approach is at the core of agroecology. Bioherbicides contribute to conservation by providing an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical herbicides. By reducing the reliance on synthetic chemicals, fungal bioherbicides help preserve soil health, water quality and protect non-target species, including beneficial organisms such as pollinators and soil microbes. They also promote biodiversity by selectively targeting specific weed species, leaving native plants and other organisms unharmed and favoring diversified weed flora without the dominance of a few species. Despite their promising potential, bioherbicides face several challenges, including delayed action, production difficulties and the potential toxicity of certain fungal toxins to mammals. This review highlights the growing adoption of fungal bioherbicides as an eco-friendly component of Integrated Weed Management (IWM). Further research is necessary to identify optimal fungal strains for controlling persistent weeds without putting at risk the overall biodiversity and to develop improved formulations for enhanced efficacy.


Climatic conditions in the two experimental fields during the 2022-2023 growing seasons.
Concentration (%) of N, P, and K in plant tissues of alfalfa. Different letters indicate significant differences. ***; p ≤ 0.001, E; Evaluation.
Concentration (%) of N, P, and K in durum wheat tissues. Different letters indicate significant differences. ***; p ≤ 0.001, E; Evaluation.
A Preliminary Assessment of the Combined Effects of a Novel Microbial Biostimulant Product, Fertilizers, and Herbicides on the Growth and Yield of Field Crops in Greece

July 2024

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64 Reads

Agronomy

Field trials were conducted (2022–2023) in a randomized complete block design to evaluate the combined use of a microbial biostimulant, P-K Stim, which contains phosphate and potassium solubilizing bacteria (109 Colony Forming Units mL−1), various fertilization rates, and herbicide use on weed growth and the productivity of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.), and durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.). The following treatment list was the same on all trial fields: (1) 100% basal fertilization (100N), (2) 20% basal fertilization and application of microbial biostimulant P-K Stim (20N + PK), (3) 100% basal fertilization and post-emergence herbicide treatment (100N + H), (4) 20% basal fertilization together with the application of P-K Stim and a post-emergence herbicide treatment (20N + PK + H), and (5) 50% basal fertilization together with the application of P-K Stim and a post-emergence herbicide treatment (50N + PK + H). The combined use of fertilization, biostimulants, and herbicides significantly affected crop yield, its components and weed biomass (p ≤ 0.05). The concentrations for potassium and phosphorus were higher in the 20N + PK + H and 50N + PK + H treatments for all crops compared to other treatments. Nutrient concentrations were remarkably high across all crops, closely approximating the values of the recommended nitrogen fertilization. Crop yield and its components were positively influenced by the 20N + PK + H and 50N + PK + H treatments. Weed biomass was significantly lower in these plots compared to other treatments.


Steps to be taken in the framework of identification, assessment, and promotion of service weeds and service natural vegetation in agroecosystems.
Agroecology and beyond: enhancing ecosystem services provided by natural vegetation and inventing “service weeds”

June 2024

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55 Reads

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2 Citations


Main soil-climatic requirements of selected summer cover crops.
Weed suppression of the selected summer cover crops in field trials.
The Potential of Three Summer Legume Cover Crops to Suppress Weeds and Provide Ecosystem Services—A Review

June 2024

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67 Reads

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1 Citation

Agronomy

Recently, there has been growing interest in the use of summer cover crops that can be grown during summer fallow periods of crop rotation. This study evaluates the potential of sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.), velvetbean [Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC.] and cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.]. as three annual legumes summer cover crops. The main objective of this review was to conduct global research comparing these summer cover crops to investigate the benefits, challenges, and trade-offs among ecosystems services when implementing these summer cover crops. In European agriculture, there are three main windows in crop rotation when these summer legumes can be grown: Around mid-spring after winter fallow, early summer after harvest of a winter crop, and mid- to late summer after harvest of an early-season crop. All three legumes can suppress weeds while they are actively growing. After termination, their mulch can create unfavorable conditions for weed emergence. Sunn hemp and velvetbean cover crops can cause a reduction in weed biomass of more than 50%. In addition to their ability to suppress weeds, sunn hemp, velvetbean, and cowpea provide a variety of ecosystem services, such as improving soil health, quality, and fertility, controlling pests, and sequestering carbon. The review highlights their promising role in weed suppression and their contribution to sustainable agricultural practices. However, further research is needed to evaluate their performance in weed management and their environmental impact in field trials under different soil-climatic conditions, as cover cropping is an effective practice but highly context-specific.


Current and future glyphosate use in European agriculture

March 2024

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1,478 Reads

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5 Citations

Weed Research

There has been a longstanding and contentious debate about the future of glypho-sate use in the European Union (EU). In November 2023, the European Commission approved the renewal of the use registration for glyphosate for a further 10 years. Nevertheless, the EU Farm to Fork strategy calls for a 50% reduction in pesticide use by 2030. In November 2022, the European Weed Research Society organised a 2 day workshop to identify critical glyphosate uses in current EU cropping systems and to review the availability of glyphosate alternatives. Workshop participants identified four current, critical uses in EU cropping systems; control and management of perennial weeds, weed control in conservation agriculture, vegetation management in tree and vine crops and herbicide resistance management. There are few herbicide alternatives that provide effective, economic, broad-spectrum control of weeds, particularly perennial weeds. Mechanical weed control, and in particular, soil cultivation is the most obvious glyphosate alternative. However, this is not possible in conservation agriculture systems and, in general, increased soil cultivation has negative impacts for soil health. Emerging technologies for precision weed control can enable more targeted use of glyphosate, greatly reducing use rates. These technologies also facilitate the use and development of alternative targeted physical weed control (e.g. tillage, lasers, electricity), reducing the energy and environmental costs of these approaches. In tree crops, the use of organic and inorganic mulches can reduce the need for glyphosate use. In general, reduced use of glyphosate will require an even greater focus on integrated weed management to reduce weed establishment in agroecosystems, increase weed management diversity and limit the use of alternative resistance-prone herbicides.


Specific geographic position and soil features of experimental fields in maize crop for both growing seasons.
Maize sowing dates for each growing season (1st experimental year and 2nd experimental year).
Simpson index of weed flora of each treatment plot before the application of herbicide (0 DAT) for the first and second experimental years. T: herbicide treatments (T1: untreated control; T2: nico- sulfuron + rimsulfuron + mesotrione; T3: nicosulfuron + rimsulfuron + dicamba; T4: nicosulfuron + rimsulfuron; T5: florasulam + mesotrione; T6: mesotrione + nicosulfuron; T7: 2,4-D ester); Y: year.
Quick In Situ Evaluation of Herbicide Efficacy in Maize (Zea mays L.) Crop

December 2023

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66 Reads

Agrochemicals

Sustainable crop and weed management is among the crucial challenges in the era of the EU Green Deal. The main objective of the present study was to apply an innovative approach for the rapid assessment of herbicide efficacy in maize (Zea mays) crop in four different trials during two years. Weed NDVI values were recorded at two weeks after treatment, while weed biomass and crop yield were also measured. The results revealed significant differences between the several treatments. In many cases, significant effects of herbicide application on the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values and weed biomass were noticed at two weeks after treatment. Moreover, the mixture nicosulfuron + rimsulfuron + mesotrione resulted in high efficacy on the crop yield of all fields. Consequently, our approach can allow for an early prediction of the real field efficacy of several herbicides and thus act as an alert for the farmers in order to choose the most efficient herbicide, avoid applications of low efficacy and reduce the herbicide inputs.




Citations (73)


... The development of future DSSs should aim to consolidate all the available systems under a common platform, facilitating proactive and reactive management strategies, such as for the control of herbicide resistance weed populations. Also, it is necessary to expand the scope to include a wider range of crops, countries, ecosystem services and agroecologically based recommendations, which will enhance the relevance and effectiveness of these tools [35,47]. To ensure usability, future DSSs should prioritize user-friendly interfaces, multilingual support, and robust offline functionality, making them usable even in remote areas with limited digital literacy [48]. ...

Reference:

Digital Tools and Decision Support Systems in Agroecology: Benefits, Challenges, and Practical Implementations
Agroecology and beyond: enhancing ecosystem services provided by natural vegetation and inventing “service weeds”

... The crop residues from oil seed crops like canola, sunflower and soybeans used as mulch contain allelopathic compounds that can either reduce weed germination or physically suppress weed seedlings (52). Zannopoulos et al. (53) reported that incorporating sorghum, sunflower and Brassica residues into the soil inhibited the sprouting and seedling growth of purple nut sedge and horse purslane. Crop residues from Brassica, sunflower and sorghum applied as mulch more effectively control the growth of horse purslane and purple nut sedge (54). ...

The Potential of Three Summer Legume Cover Crops to Suppress Weeds and Provide Ecosystem Services—A Review

Agronomy

... Glyphosate is the most heavily used and successful herbicide globally [32], used to control weeds in both agricultural and non-agricultural areas [33]. It has been described as a "once in a century herbicide" due to its high efficacy, environmental safety and low cost [34]. Glyphosate inhibits the enzyme 5-enolpyruvyl shikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS), which is crucial for the shikimic acid pathway that produces amino acids such as tyrosine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine [35]. ...

Current and future glyphosate use in European agriculture

Weed Research

... Optimal seeding rates and row spacing enhance canola's ability to outcompete weeds for light, nutrients and water. Environmental factors such as soil fertility and moisture also influence weed establishment [62][63][64][65]. For example, early planting can allow canola to create a canopy that limits light to weeds and reduces their growth. ...

The Underestimated Role of Cultural Practices in Ecologically Based Weed Management Approaches
  • Citing Chapter
  • December 2023

... Synthetic herbicides are one of the biggest hurdles while shifting from conventional chemical-based farming to organic farming (Barratt et al. 2018). Similarly, direct weed control methods also have limitations in organic food production (Korres et al. 2023). Likewise, the mechanical weeding process damages the root system of crops, increase soil erosion, henceforth disturb natural biodiversity and decrease soil fertility (Leslie et al. ;Kolb et al. 2012), flam weeding depends on the heat tolerance of crops and weeds (bond 2001), and hand weeding is very expensive for large areas and linked with labour availability (Bàrberi 2018). ...

Ecologically Based Weed Management: Concepts, Challenges, and Limitations

... As Gaba et al. (2015) highlighted, determining plant diversity and designing and applying management practices that could deliver a set of targeted services under given environmental and socioeconomic conditions are crucial. The question of whether weeds can play a role or should be kept only as opponents (Travlos et al., 2023) is answered here: weeds do have a role to play in the agroecosystem. Due to their short life cycles, plasticity, and adaptability, the good traits that selection pressure gave them, the art of coexistence and complementarity that they have developed, and many other advantages, they can remarkably turn into "service weeds" and contribute to the already defined main ecosystem services. ...

The Future of Weed Science: Novel Approaches to Weed Management

Agronomy

... Furthermore, a high net benefit and benefit cost ratio were noted with foliar application [86]. Gazoulis et al. [87] conducted a study which concluded that alternate fertilisation reduced weed biomass (28%) and increased maize yield by 56% compared to conventional fertilisation by enhancing the production of maize. The foliar application of boron increased grain yield by 19.6% compared to both the control and basal application methods [88]. ...

The Integrated Effects of Biostimulant Application, Mechanical Weed Control, and Herbicide Application on Weed Growth and Maize (Zea mays L.) Yield

Agronomy

... As a newly invasive species in some countries of Europe and the Mediterranean region, the identification of A. palmeri and rapid detection of invasion events are critical for its management. Matzrafi et al. (2025) reviewed key botanical traits that allow differentiation of A. palmeri from other closely related Amaranthus species, and assessed future risks of its invasion and spread based on climate conditions and agricultural practices, with an overview of strategies for early detection, along with chemical and non-chemical weed control methods for effective management. ...

Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson: A new threat to agriculture in Europe and the Mediterranean region
  • Citing Article
  • September 2023

Weed Research

... Other perennial species, such as Solanum elaeagnifolium, may be distributed over great distances through diverse methods of seed distribution. 25 Another perennial deep-rooted species, Cynanchum acutum, produces a large number of seeds per plant that are easily spread by wind and water. 26 However, like A. grayi, these two species may also disperse by rhizomes. ...

Biology of Invasive Plants 5. Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav.

Invasive Plant Science and Management

... Semua perlakuan aplikasi herbisida berpengaruh sama pada penekanan pertumbuhan gulma (71,53% -93,42%). Data ini sejalan dengan hasil penelitian lain tentang keberhasilan penekanan pertumbuhan gulma karena aplikasi herbisida pada tanaman jagung (Grzanka et al., 2022;Loureiro et al., 2019), pada gulma ciplukan (Physalis angulata) (Khodadadi et al., 2023), bahkan penekanan pertumbuhan gulma pada jenis tanah yang berbeda di Propinsi Sichuan, China (Liang et al., 2023). Perlakuan penyiangan secara manual dapat menyebabkan penekanan pertumbuhan gulma hingga 100%. ...

Evaluation of herbicides for selective weed control in cutleaf groundcherry (Physalis angulata L.)
  • Citing Article
  • April 2023

Crop Protection