Acaricidal activity and repellency of essential oil from Piper aduncum and its components against Tetranychus urticae

Abstract

The chemical composition of essential oil of leaves of Piper aduncum L., growing wild in a fragment of the Atlantic Rainforest biome in northeastern Brazil, was determined through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The acaricidal activity and repellency of the essential oil and its components [dillapiole (0.28 g/ml), α-humulene (0.016 g/ml), (E)-nerolidol (0.0007 g/ml) and β-caryophyllene (0.0021 g/ml)] were evaluated in the laboratory against adults of Tetranychus urticae Koch. The mites were more susceptible to the oil in fumigation tests (LC(50) = 0.01 μl/l of air) than in contact test with closed Petri dish (LC(50) = 7.17 μl/ml); mortality was reduced by approximately 50 % in the latter test. The repellent action of the oil and toxicity by fumigation and contact did not differ significantly from the positive control (eugenol). The repellent activity was attributed to the components (E)-nerolidol, α-humulene and β-caryophyllene, whereas toxicity by fumigation and contact was attributed to β-caryophyllene. The effect of Piper oil and the role of its components regarding host plant preference with a two-choice leaf disk test are also discussed.

Toxicity of essential oils of Piper marginatum Jacq. against Tetranychus urticae Koch and Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor)

“…Among the major components, only β-caryophyllene and patchoulol, which were found in different proportions in stem, flower, and leaf oils, and it demonstrated acaricidal activity. The biological properties of β-caryophyllene have been confirmed in previous reports involving the larvae of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) (Dória et al, 2010) and T. urticae (Araújo et al, 2012). Moreover, the major constituents are not the only components responsible for the fumigating action observed in the experiments and it is likely that these compounds act in synergy with those found in smaller amounts .…”

“…This is the first report of the fumigating action of P. marginatum oils on T. urticae and its natural enemy N. californicus. However, the evaluation of the acaricidal activity of other plant species against T. urticae has been investigated previously, such Protium bahianum, Protium heptaphyllum (Pontes et al, 2007a;, Xylopia sericea (Pontes et al, 2007b), Citrus sinensis, Citrus aurantium (Araújo-Júnior et al, 2010), and Piper aduncum (Araújo et al, 2012).…”

“…The fumigant method used to assess toxicity of P. marginatum oils vapors against T. urticae were the same as that employed by Araújo et al (2012). The concentrations of oils and compounds ranged from 0.005 to 8 μL L -1 air for oils, 0.2 to 14 μL L -1 air for the constituents and 6.4 × 10 -5 to 1.2 μL L -1 air for eugenol (positive control).…”

“…The concentrations of oils and compounds ranged from 0.005 to 8 μL L -1 air for oils, 0.2 to 14 μL L -1 air for the constituents and 6.4 × 10 -5 to 1.2 μL L -1 air for eugenol (positive control). The fumigant assay method used to measure the toxicity of the oils to N. californicus was that described by Araújo et al (2012) with modifications. Each leaf disc was infested with 10 specimens of N. californicus, totaling 30 mites per Petri dish.…”

Contact and repellency effects of Rosa damascena Mill. essential oil and its two major constituents against Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae)

“…Jantan & Zaki (1998) reported that formulations made of Cinnamomum camphora Linnaeus (Lauraceae), Mentha pulegium Linnaeus (Labiatae) essential oils and camphor components had long-term repellent effects against pests, and some monoterpenoids such as α-pinene, limonene, terpinolene, citronellol, citronellal and camphor also had repellent effects. Araujo et al (2012) reported that Piper aduncum essential oil and its principle components (nerolidol, α-humulene and β-caryophyllene) did not show a repellent effect in T. urticae. Conclusive research has shown geraniol to be an effective plant-based mosquito repellent and an insecticide for controlling pests with low mammalian toxicity and biodegradability (Omolo et al, 2004;Chen & Viljoen, 2010).…”