Application of Plant Extracts in Pest Control

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2024 | Viewed by 1913

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Interests: plant extracts; integrated pest management

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Economic Plant Resources Development and Utilization, College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Interests: bioactive natural products; pesticide; plant production

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant extracts and essential oils (EOs) have gained recognition as environmentally friendly and effective solutions for pest management. These plant extracts and EOs offer advantages such as low toxicity, minimal residue, affordability, easily degradable, and high safety for human health. Most phytochemicals from herbs and woody plants are alkaloids, flavonoids, lignans, phenylpropanoids, quinoids, tannins, terpenoids, steroids, saponins, glycosides, or volatile oils responsible for their biological activities. The extraction of phytochemicals with insecticidal activity from plants is one of the important developments of natural product research.

This Special Issue aims to explore more plant essential oils and extracts with insecticidal activity to isolate and identify chemical substances with specific insecticidal activity, the development of effective pesticide formulations and non-target effect studies, as well as the latest progress in field applications. The mechanism of action of plant extracts will also be considered.

Dr. Yongjian Xie
Dr. Xiangrong Tian
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • plant extracts
  • phytochemistry
  • insecticidal activity
  • formulation development
  • mechanism of action
  • integrated pest management

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1706 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Ten Alternative Treatments for the Management of Harlequin Bug (Murgantia histrionica) on Brassica Crops
by Sarah Clark, Ricardo Bessin, David Gonthier and Jonathan Larson
Plants 2024, 13(12), 1618; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13121618 - 12 Jun 2024
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Abstract
Harlequin bug (Murgantia histrionica) poses a significant threat to cruciferous vegetable crops, leading to economic losses and challenges in sustainable agriculture. This 2-year field study evaluated the efficacy of exclusion netting and selected biopesticides in controlling harlequin bug populations in a [...] Read more.
Harlequin bug (Murgantia histrionica) poses a significant threat to cruciferous vegetable crops, leading to economic losses and challenges in sustainable agriculture. This 2-year field study evaluated the efficacy of exclusion netting and selected biopesticides in controlling harlequin bug populations in a field-grown broccoli crop. Treatments included an untreated control, industry standards Azera and Entrust, and ProtekNet mesh netting. Additionally, three commercial essential oil treatments including Essentria IC-3, Nature-Cide, and Zero Tolerance were tested along with two bokashi fermented composting products BrewKashi and Oriental Herbal Nutrient (OHN). During both the first and second year of the study, none of the commercially produced essential oil products or bokashi products were effective in controlling harlequin bug or preventing leaf scars. Conversely, ProtekNet consistently provided the highest level of protection against harlequin bugs of all stages as well as leaf damage scars; it also provided the largest broccoli head width and highest yield. Entrust showed similar results compared to ProtekNet, both with the control of harlequin bug life stages and with leaf scars. These findings indicate that both ProtekNet and Entrust are effective organic alternatives for managing harlequin bug on broccoli, while the selected essential oil and bokashi products do not appear to be effective. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Plant Extracts in Pest Control)
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14 pages, 3546 KiB  
Article
Mentha spp. Essential Oils: A Potential Toxic Fumigant with Inhibition of Acetylcholinesterase Activity on Reticulitermes dabieshanensis
by Ziwei Wu, Chunzhe Jin, Yiyang Chen, Shimeng Yang, Xi Yang, Dayu Zhang and Yongjian Xie
Plants 2023, 12(23), 4034; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12234034 - 30 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 913
Abstract
In this study, we analyzed the components of Mentha spp. essential oils (EOs) and evaluated their major constituents and binary combinations against Reticulitermes dabieshanensis. We also determined the activities of esterases (ESTs), glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), and acetylcholinesterase activity (AChE) in treated insects. [...] Read more.
In this study, we analyzed the components of Mentha spp. essential oils (EOs) and evaluated their major constituents and binary combinations against Reticulitermes dabieshanensis. We also determined the activities of esterases (ESTs), glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), and acetylcholinesterase activity (AChE) in treated insects. According to our findings, the most effective oils were those obtained from M. citrata (with the major constituent linalool constituting 45.1%), M. piperita (menthol, 49.1%), and M. spicata (carvone, 69.0%), with LC50 values of 0.176, 0.366, and 0.146 μL/L, respectively. The LC50 values were recorded for linalool (0.303 μL/L), followed by menthol (0.272 μL/L), and carvone (0.147 μL/L). The insecticidal potency increased with binary mixtures of major active constituents, with carvone strongly synergizing the toxicity of linalool and menthol against R. dabieshanensis. Compared to the control, except for M. citrata treated with no difference in α-NA or GST activity, the activities of ESTs and GST in other treatment groups were significantly increased. Additionally, our results found that Mentha spp. EOs and their major constituents inhibited the activity of AChE in vivo and in vitro. Finally, we performed a structure-based virtual screening of linalool, menthol, and carvone to identify that linalool had the greatest potential to bind to the active site of AChE. The present study suggests that Mentha spp. EOs could provide an additional approach for the management of termites over synthetic insecticides. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Plant Extracts in Pest Control)
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