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Essential Oils from Cameroonian Aromatic Plants as Effective Insecticides against Mosquitoes, Houseflies, and Moths

Authors :
Joice G. Nkuimi Wandjou
Cecilia Baldassarri
Marta Ferrati
Filippo Maggi
Roman Pavela
Nole Tsabang
Riccardo Petrelli
Renato Ricciardi
Nicolas Desneux
Giovanni Benelli
Source :
Plants, Vol 11, Iss 18, p 2353 (2022)
Publication Year :
2022
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2022.

Abstract

Recently, spices have attracted the attention of scientists and agrochemical companies for their potential as insecticidal and acaricidal agents, and even as repellents to replace synthetic compounds that are labeled with detrimental impacts on environment and human and animal health. In this framework, the aim of this study was to evaluate the insecticidal potential of the essential oils (EOs) obtained from three Cameroonian aromatic plants, namely Monodora myristica (Gaertn.) Dunal, Xylopia aethiopica (Dunal) A. Rich., and Aframomum citratum (J. Pereira) K. Schum. They were produced by hydrodistillation, with yields of 3.84, 4.89, and 0.85%, respectively. The chemical composition was evaluated by GC-MS analysis. The EOs and their major constituents (i.e., geraniol, sabinene, α-pinene, p-cymene, α-phellandrene, and β-pinene) were tested against the polyphagous moth pest, i.e., Spodoptera littoralis (Boisd.), the common housefly, Musca domestica L., and the filariasis and arbovirus mosquito vector, Culex quinquefasciatus Say. Our results showed that M. myristica and X. aethiopica EOs were the most effective against M. domestica adults, being effective on both males (22.1 µg adult−1) and females (LD50: 29.1 µg adult−1). The M. myristica EO and geraniol showed the highest toxicity on S. littoralis, with LD50(90) values of 29.3 (123.5) and 25.3 (83.2) µg larva−1, respectively. Last, the EOs from M. myristica and X. aethiopica, as well as the major constituents p-cymene and α-phellandrene, were the most toxic against C. quinquefasciatus larvae. The selected EOs may potentially lead to the production of cheap and effective botanical insecticides for African smallholders, although the development of effective formulations, a safety evaluation, and an in-depth study of their efficacy on different insect species are needed.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
22237747 and 38738473
Volume :
11
Issue :
18
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Plants
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.6076df387384731b4162d4109a7dbf2
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11182353