This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Acaricidal Activity and Potential Application of Atropa belladonna
by
,
Haicui Xie
1,
Xuetao Yang
1,
Caihong Cheng
2,
Mengzhu Xian
3,
Xiaolu Xiao
3,
Xiuping Wang
1,* and
Jun Li
3,* 1
Hebei Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004, China
2
Analysis and Testing Center, Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004, China
3
Oil Crops Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430062, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Insects 2025, 16(11), 1158; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16111158 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 25 September 2025
/
Revised: 1 November 2025
/
Accepted: 10 November 2025
/
Published: 12 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Topic Exploring Plant-Derived Compounds for Effective Insect Pest Management in Agriculture)
Simple Summary
Tetranychus urticae is a global mite pest that inflicts extensive damage on crops, causing severe losses to agricultural production. For a long time, chemical pesticides have been the primary method used to control this pest. However, the overuse of chemical pesticides not only pollutes the environment and harms beneficial organisms but also leads to the gradual development of resistance in T. urticae. Botanical pesticides have emerged as a research hotspot in recent years due to advantages like easy degradability, low toxicity, and the ability to delay pest resistance. This study specifically evaluated the acaricidal efficacy of Atropa belladonna (AB) extract and tested its field performance in mixtures with four commercial chemical pesticides, namely imidacloprid (IMI), acetamiprid (ACE), thiamethoxam (TMX), and bifenthrin (BF). Results showed that AB extract exerts acaricidal effects by inhibiting detoxification enzyme activity in T. urticae and reducing the expression of detoxification enzyme-related genes; its main active components are hyoscyamine and genistein. The AB extract–BF combination yielded the best efficacy and did not disrupt the stability of natural enemy communities in the field. Thus, AB extract may be an eco-friendly acaricide with great potential, and its combination with bifenthrin provides a new strategy for sustainable control of T. urticae, which reduces chemical pesticide use while protecting natural enemies.
Abstract
The growing resistance of Tetranychus urticae to chemical pesticides highlights the need for alternative solutions for its sustainable control. To develop botanical acaricides and reduce the usage of chemical pesticides, this study assessed the acaricidal activity of AB extract and its combinations with four commercial insecticides: imidacloprid (IMI), acetamiprid (ACE), thiamethoxam (TMX), and bifenthrin (BF). Results showed that the AB extract suppressed detoxification enzymes and downregulated their corresponding genes in T. urticae. Bioassays identified hyoscyamine and genistein as key bioactive compounds. Field trials revealed that treatments with AB + IMI, AB + TMX, and AB + BF significantly enhanced the corrected efficacy against T. urticae compared with AB treatment, with the highest corrected efficacy observed for AB + BF. Notably, the AB + BF treatment did not influence the stability of the natural enemy community, as indicated by the characteristic indices of the natural enemy community, which suggests that the integration of AB extract with BF may represent a sustainable pest management strategy. Therefore, the AB extract represents an environmentally benign alternative to chemical pesticides for the sustainable control of T. urticae.
