Chemical Composition and Broad-Spectrum Insecticidal Activity of the Flower Essential Oil from an Ancient Sicilian Food Plant, Ridolfia segetum

Abstract

Several species of the family Apiaceae are aromatic herbs that produce essential oils usable on an industrial scale for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food purposes. In particular, some essential oils, such as green insecticides for example, may replace synthetic insecticides, keeping most of their efficacy and avoiding environmental pollution or human poisoning. In the present study, we explored the insecticidal potential of Ridolfia segetum (L.) Moris essential oil (EO) against three different pests: Culex quinquefasciatus Say, Musca domestica L., and Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval). For this purpose, the EO was obtained by hydrodistillation of flowers and its composition was achieved by gas chromatography/flame ionization detection (GC/FID) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). This EO was rich in α-phellandrene (49.3%), β-phellandrene (9.2%), terpinolene (20.7%), and piperitenone oxide (5.9%). Concerning the mosquitocidal efficacy, the EO showed noteworthy toxicity against C. quinquefasciatus 3rd instar larvae, with a LC50 = 27.1 µL L−1 and LC90 = 42.5 µL L−1. Regarding M. domestica, a different toxicity of the R. segetum EO was found on male and female flies, calculating LD50 values of 10.5 and 50.8 µg adult−1, respectively. The EO was also toxic to S. littoralis 3rd instar larvae, achieving LD50 and LD90 values of 37.9 and 99.6 µg larva−1, respectively. Overall, this flower EO, extracted from a traditional Sicilian food plant, merits further investigation for the development of green insecticide formulations to be used in real world conditions, pending a careful assessment of non-target toxicity on beneficial organisms.

Chemical Composition and Evaluation of Insecticidal Activity of Calendula incana subsp. maritima and Laserpitium siler subsp. siculum Essential Oils against Stored Products Pests

“…Calendula maritima and L. siculum are species that are growing in marginal lands, and their cultivation could be exploited in such contexts where other cultivated species cannot be planted. Furthermore, given the excellent results shown by the EOs obtained from different species of the Umbelliferae family [ 22 ], used as natural insecticides [ 23 , 24 ], and considering the insecticidal and repellent properties of the Calendula genus [ 25 , 26 ], the object of this study was to investigate, for the first time, the chemical composition of C. incana subsp. maritima and L. siler subsp.…”

Effect of Germacrene-Rich Essential Oil of Parentucellia latifolia (L.) Caruel Collected in Central Sicily on the Growth of Microorganisms Inhabiting Historical Textiles

“…Cellulases, for example, fibrolytic enzymes, synergistically hydrolyze cellulose obtaining cellobiose, oligosaccharides, and glucose, so they are chiefly responsible for the degradation of cellulosic fibers. 33 Consequently, in the framework of our continuous research on essential oils from Sicilian plants [34][35][36] and the study of their biological properties, [37][38][39][40] we investigated the phytochemical composition of the Sicilian essential oil of Parentucellia latifolia (L.) Caruel, obtained from the hydrodistillation of its aerial parts, as well as its antimicrobial potential by testing it on several representative Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria that typically affect historical art crafts.…”

The Application of the Essential Oils of Thymus vulgaris L. and Crithmum maritimum L. as Biocidal on Two Tholu Bommalu Indian Leather Puppets

“…Thus, the main purpose of this study was to undertake the first study of the application of the Thymus essential oil to heritage leather disinfection under a vacuum system. Consequently, in the context of our ongoing research on endemic Sicilian plants [ 27 , 28 , 29 ] and the biological activity of essential oils [ 30 , 31 , 32 ], and in consideration of the important antibacterial properties of the essential oil Thymus demonstrated in the aforementioned articles, we decided to utilize the EO of Thymus vulgaris as natural biocide against bacteria affecting two Tholu Bommalu , typical Indian leather puppets, which were stored at the International Puppets Museum “Antonio Pasqualino”. We exploited the high vacuum inside ad hoc chambers in order to speed up the disinfection process.…”