Insecticidal activity of marigold Tagetes patula plants and foliar extracts against the hemipteran pests, Lygus hesperus and Bemisia tabaci

Abstract

The western tarnished plant bug, Lygus hesperus Knight (Hemiptera: Miridae) and the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) are key hemipteran pests of numerous crop plants throughout the western United States and Mexico. Management in the U.S. currently relies on only a few insecticides and is threatened by the evolution of resistance. New chemistries or alternative management strategies are needed to reduce selection pressure on current insecticides and enhance control. Here, we investigated the bio-insecticidal toxicity of the French marigold, Tagetes patula Linnaeus (Asterales: Asteraceae), against both L. hesperus and B. tabaci. Assays indicated significantly reduced survival of both pest species on T. patula plants, and in diet incorporation assays containing aqueous and methanolic marigold foliar extracts. Mortality was concentration-dependent, indicating the presence of one or more extractable toxicants. These data suggest that T. patula plants have insecticidal constituents that might be identified and developed as novel alternatives to conventional chemical treatments.

The Effect of Santolina chamaecyparissus and Tagetes patula Essential Oils on Biochemical Markers of Oxidative Stress in Aphids

“…This finding could be related to the structural and biological activity of the constituents of the EOs. The bioactivity of EOs and other extracts from different Tagetes species have been previously reported with reference to several insect pests, including aphids [ 35 , 36 , 37 ]. Dardouri el al.…”

Larvacidal Effect of Some Plant Extracts Against Tomato Leaf Miner (Tuta Absoluta Meyrick; Lepidoptera: Gelehiidae)

“…Rajasekaran et al (2004) revealed that T. patula extract showed a larvicidal effect against mosquito larvae. The extract of T. patula caused significantly reduced survival of Latrodectus hesperus and Bemisia tabaci species on plants (Fabric, 2020). The extract of T. patula had a mortality rate of 65.5% on Aedes fluviatilis (Diptera: Culicidae) (Macedo, 1997).…”

UHPLC-OrbiTrap MS Characterization of Phenolic Profiles in French Marigold Extracts and Analysis of Their Antifeedant Activity against Colorado Potato Beetle

“…French marigold ( Tagetes patula L.), an aromatic plant grown worldwide for ornamental purposes, is one of the plant species whose secondary metabolites exhibit potent pesticidal activities [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. Plants are especially rich in flavonoids, a class of polyphenolic secondary metabolites, with the highest diversity and quantities reported in flowers [ 25 ].…”

“…The most abundant flavonoids in French marigolds are patuletin, quercetin, quercetagetin, patulitrin, luteolin, allopatuletin, and kaempferol [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ], present either as aglycones or as glycosylated forms with different sugar moieties. Extracts obtained from flowers or leaves of French marigold have already been tested against pests from Hemiptera–western tarnished plant bug Lygus hesperus Knight and the whitefly Bemisia tabaci Gennadius [ 24 ], as well as from Diptera–mosquitoes Aedes aegypti L. and Anopheles stephensi Liston [ 32 ], and cabbage maggot Delia radicum L. [ 33 ]. In most cases, extracts incorporated into an artificial diet significantly reduced the survival of feeding larvae and this effect was observed in a dose-dependent manner.…”