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Green Insect Control: The Potential Impact of Plant Essential Oils

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A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 24 June 2024 | Viewed by 1740

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Eleonora Spinozzi

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Guest Editor

Chemistry Interdisciplinary Project (ChIP), School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Via Madonna delle Carceri, 62032 Camerino, Italy
Interests: plant essential oils; plant extracts; bioactive compounds; phytochemistry; isolation; synthesis; biological properties
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Nickolas G. Kavallieratos

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Laboratory of Agricultural Zoology and Entomology, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos Str., 11855 Athens, Greece
Interests: stored-product protection; stored-product insect biology; chemical control; non-chemical control; trapping and sampling; taxonomy; aphid parasitoids; forest entomology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Paolo Rossi

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School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine (SBVM), University of Camerino (UNICAM), Camerino, Italy
Interests: insects; essential oils; insecticides

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The search for innovative and safe bioinsecticides is continuously growing. Indeed, the risks associated with the use of conventional insecticides triggered interest in developing sustainable alternatives for insect control. In this context, plant essential oils (EOs) are gaining a substantial traction as potential novel bioinsecticides. These products have an established history of human use, mainly as fragrances or flavoring substances. Their range of application has recently expanded to phytopharmaceuticals as well as in foods and beverages. EOs have already demonstrated potential in the management of noxious insects. Moreover, they boast relative safety to human health and non-target organisms, low persistence in the environment, multiple modes of action, and often broad availability. EOs for insect control as well as the development of formulative tools for their correct application are still under investigation. This Special Issue of Plants will focus on the insecticidal properties of plant EOs, their extraction, chemical characterization, and safety. Furthermore, it will focus on the development of innovative formulative systems of EOs to be employed for insect control strategies, analyzing the real-world future applications of these plant-derived products.

Dr. Eleonora Spinozzi
Dr. Nickolas G. Kavallieratos
Dr. Paolo Rossi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

essential oils (EOs)
bioinsecticides
insecticidal activity
formulations
safety

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 2578 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Contributions of γ-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) Receptors for the Activities of Pectis brevipedunculata Essential Oil against Drosophila suzukii and Pollinator Bees

by Sabrina Helena da Cruz Araujo, Javier Guillermo Mantilla-Afanador, Thiago Svacina, Tarciza Fernandes Nascimento, Aldilene da Silva Lima, Marcos Bispo Pinheiro Camara, Luis Oswaldo Viteri Jumbo, Gil Rodrigues dos Santos, Cláudia Quintino da Rocha and Eugênio Eduardo de Oliveira

Plants 2024, 13(10), 1392; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13101392 - 17 May 2024

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Abstract

The γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors play pivotal roles in the transmission of neuronal information in the nervous system of insects, which has led these proteins to be targeted by synthetic and natural products. Here, we assessed the insecticidal potential of the essential oil of Pectis brevipedunculata (Gardner) Sch. Bip., a neotropical Asteraceae plant used in traditional medicine, for controlling Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) adults by feeding exposure. By using in silico approaches, we disentangle the contribution of GABA receptors and other potential neuronal targets (e.g., acetylcholinesterase, glutathione-S-transferases) in insects that may explain the essential oil differential activities against D. suzukii and two essential pollinator bees (Apis mellifera Linnaeus and Partamona helleri Friese). Neral (26.7%) and geranial (33.9%) were the main essential oil components which killed D. suzukii with an estimated median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) of 2.25 µL/mL. Both pollinator forager bee species, which would likely contact this compound in the field, were more tolerant to the essential oil and did not have their diet consumptions affected by the essential oil. Based on the molecular predictions for the three potential targets and the essential oil main components, a higher affinity of interaction with the GABA receptors of D. suzukii (geranial −6.2 kcal/mol; neral −5.8 kcal/mol) in relation to A. mellifera (geranial −5.2 kcal/mol; neral −4.9 kcal/mol) would contribute to explaining the difference in toxicities observed in the bioassays. Collectively, our findings indicated the involvement of GABA receptors in the potential of P. brevipedunculata essential oil as an alternative tool for controlling D. suzukii. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Insect Control: The Potential Impact of Plant Essential Oils)

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28 pages, 405 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring the Efficacy of Four Apiaceae Essential Oils against Nine Stored-Product Pests in Wheat Protection

by Nickolas G. Kavallieratos, Nikoleta Eleftheriadou, Maria C. Boukouvala, Anna Skourti, Constantin S. Filintas, Demeter Lorentha S. Gidari, Filippo Maggi, Paolo Rossi, Ettore Drenaggi, Mohammad Reza Morshedloo, Marta Ferrati and Eleonora Spinozzi

Plants 2024, 13(4), 533; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13040533 - 15 Feb 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 896

Abstract

The Apiaceae family, known for aromatic plants producing bioactive essential oils (EOs), holds significance across sectors, including agrochemicals. This study evaluated the insecticidal potential of four Apiaceae EOs from Crithmum maritimum L., Trachyspermum ammi (L.) Sprague ex Turrill, Smyrnium olusatrum L., and Elwendia persica (Boiss.) Pimenov and Kljuykov against various significant storage pests (Sitophilus oryzae (L.), Trogoderma granarium Everts, Rhyzopertha dominica (F.), Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), T. confusum Jacquelin du Val, Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.), Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer), Acarus siro L., and Tenebrio molitor L.) on wheat. Insect mortality rates were monitored at intervals of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 days. Smyrnium olusatrum EO exhibited the highest efficacy, followed by T. ammi, C. maritimum, and E. persica EOs, although efficacy varied by species, developmental stage, and concentration. Notably, complete mortality occurred for several pests at 1000 ppm of S. olusatrum and T. ammi EOs. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis revealed key compounds in these EOs, including myrcene, germacrone, and curzerene in S. olusatrum EO, and thymol, γ-terpinene, and p-cymene in T. ammi EO. These findings emphasize their potential as botanical insecticides. Smyrnium olusatrum and T. ammi EOs emerge as promising eco-friendly pest management options due to their efficacy, highlighted compound composition, and availability of biomass from both wild and cultivated sources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Insect Control: The Potential Impact of Plant Essential Oils)

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