Multitarget Acaricidal Activity of Essential Oils from Alpinia zerumbet and Mesosphaerum suaveolens Against Tetranychus urticae
The two-spotted spider mite, <i>Tetranychus urticae</i>, is a global pest with increasing resistance to conventional acaricides, prompting the search for sustainable alternatives. Essential oils (EOs) are promising botanical biocides due to ecological safety and multitarget action. We evaluated lethal and sublethal effects of EOs from <i>Alpinia zerumbet</i> and <i>Mesosphaerum suaveolens</i> against <i>T. urticae</i>. Oils were obtained by hydrodistillation and characterized by GC-MS (major constituents: <i>A. zerumbet</i>-1,8-cineole 14.05%, sabinene 12.6%; <i>M. suaveolens</i>-β-sabinene (predominant), spathulenol 12.28%, 1,8-cineole 11.01%). In adult bioassays, <i>M. suaveolens</i> was more toxic (LC<sub>50</sub> = 4.24 µL mL<sup>-1</sup>), whereas <i>A. zerumbet</i> showed LC<sub>50</sub> = 8.74 and LC<sub>90</sub> = 46.24 µL mL<sup>-1</sup>. In ovicidal assays at LC<sub>90</sub>, egg viability declined to 2% with <i>A. zerumbet</i> versus 57% with <i>M. suaveolens</i>. Repellency at sublethal concentrations (LC<sub>20</sub>-LC<sub>30</sub>) was high for both oils (≥75%) and exceeded 90% for <i>M. suaveolens</i>. Both oils suppressed population growth (instantaneous rate <i>r<sub>i</sub></i> reduced from 0.5848 in the control to 0.4746-0.5155 under treatments). PCA confirmed lethal concentration and repellency as the main discriminators among treatments. These data demonstrate the multitarget potential of <i>A. zerumbet</i> and <i>M. suaveolens</i> EOs as botanical acaricides for sustainable management of <i>T. urticae</i>.
Authors
- Erika Pereira da Silva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3593-5899)
- Giovana Lopes da Silva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8135-0808)
- Antônio José Cantanhede Filho (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2009-2817)
- Edson Rodrigues‐Filho (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4305-0326)
- Solange Maria de França (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7602-6635)
- Herus Pablo Firmino Martins (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7979-1065)
- Víctor Morais (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2599-8172)
- Izaías Santos Marques (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0753-5206)
- Bruno Gomes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3877-2359)
- Douglas Rafael e Silva Barbosa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0234-773X)
- Lucas Martins Lopes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7686-4997)
- Mariano Oscar Aníbal Ibañez Rojas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2940-2946)
- Francisco José Teixeira Gonçalves (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1985-5231)
- Gutierres Nelson Silva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4272-0634)
- Adalberto Hipólito de Sousa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3089-2762)
- Marcos Vinícius de Sousa Negreiros
- Franciele Costa de Sousa
Institutions
- Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul (BR)
- Universidade Federal do Acre (BR)
- Universidade Federal de São Carlos (BR)
- Universidade Federal do Piauí (BR)
- Instituto Federal do Maranhão (BR)
- Instituto Federal do Amazonas (BR)
- Universidade Estadual do Maranhão (BR)
- Universidade Federal do Maranhão (BR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Insects
- Published
- 2025-11-02
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16111119
- Primary Topic
- Insect Pest Control Strategies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00