| Summary: | <i>Ferulago campestris</i> is an aromatic plant, distributed in Mediterranean Europe, and a source of essential oils (EOs) regarded as promising alternatives to synthetic herbicides and pesticides. <i>F. campestris</i> EO, hydrodistilled and analyzed, was tested for its antigerminative activity and for its effect on radicle elongation, hydrogen peroxide concentration, and lipid peroxidation on four infesting weed species (<i>Papaver rhoeas</i>, <i>Taraxacum campylodes</i>, <i>Poa annua</i>, and <i>Setaria verticillata</i>) and on <i>Phaseolus vulgaris</i>. Its repellent ability was also tested against <i>Acanthoscelides obtectus</i>, a pest commonly affecting <i>P. vulgaris</i> during storage. Moreover, a chitosan coating layer was developed with the addition of <i>F. campestris</i> EO and tested for its toxic and oviposition-deterring effects against <i>A. obtectus</i>. Myrcene, α-pinene, and γ-terpinene were detected as the main compounds in <i>F. campestris</i> EO. The EO demonstrated a selective in vitro antigerminative activity towards the weed species, without affecting the bean seeds. Moreover, the chitosan coating layer exerted a dose-dependent repellent effect against <i>A. obtectus</i> adults, thus effectively protecting the bean seeds, while preserving their germinative ability. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on a chitosan–EO coating proposed with the aim of protecting bean seeds for sowing from insect attack.
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