Abstract
Simple SummaryThe fall armyworm is an insect pest that feeds on many plants, including plants of agronomic importance, such as corn and rice. In addition, it has developed resistance to the main families of synthetic insecticides. There is, therefore, a need to find new, more environmentally friendly molecules to control this pest. We have extracted a molecule from greater galangal and tested its activity as an insecticide on the fall armyworm. This natural molecule causes larval growth inhibition and larval developmental abnormalities. To understand its action, a cell model with Sf9 cells was used. The molecule is much more toxic to insect cells than to human cells. It affects cell proliferation and induces cell death. This study demonstrates that a molecule extracted from an edible plant may have potential in the future development of botanical insecticides for the control of insect pests.Spodoptera frugiperda, a highly polyphagous insect pest from America, has recently invaded and widely spread throughout Africa and Asia. Effective and environmentally safe tools are needed for successful pest management of this invasive species. Natural molecules extracted from plants offer this possibility. Our study aimed to determine the insecticidal efficacy of a new molecule extracted from Alpinia galanga rhizome, the 1′S-1′-acetoxychavicol acetate (ACA). The toxicity of ACA was assessed by topical application on early third-instar larvae of S. frugiperda. Results showed that ACA caused significant larval growth inhibition and larval developmental abnormalities. In order to further explore the effects of this molecule, experiments have been performed at the cellular level using Sf9 model cells. ACA exhibited higher toxicity on Sf9 cells as compared to azadirachtin and was 38-fold less toxic on HepG2 cells. Inhibition of cell proliferation was observed at sublethal concentrations of ACA and was associated with cellular morphological changes and nuclear condensation. In addition, ACA induced caspase-3 activity. RT-qPCR experiments reveal that ACA induces the expression of several caspase genes. This first study on the effects of ACA on S. frugiperda larvae and cells provides evidence that ACA may have potential as a botanical insecticide for the control of S. frugiperda.
Highlights
Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), a major agricultural insect pest native to the American continent, has recently invaded Africa and Asia [1,2]
The aim of this study was to determine whether a compound extracted from A. galanga, 10 S-10 -acetoxychavicol acetate (ACA), could be used as a botanical insecticide against a major agricultural pest, S. frugiperda
Larval weights and phenotypic changes were examined after treatment with ACA and acetone
Summary
Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), a major agricultural insect pest native to the American continent, has recently invaded Africa and Asia [1,2]. S. frugiperda causes severe yield losses in various species of economically important crops, such as maize, rice, cotton and peanut [3]. Synthetic insecticides are largely used for its management; their use has negative impacts on the environment and human health and led to the development of resistance. S. frugiperda has developed resistance against 41 different molecules Page=species&arId=200), resulting in pest control failures [4]. Such problems necessitate finding safer and innovative alternatives to the existing synthetic insecticides. Plants can be sources of organic molecules with insecticidal potential and advantages such as low toxicity to humans and environmental safety [5]
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