Abstract
The antifungal and insecticidal effect of the essential oil from Ocimum sanctum L. was evaluated using a model set of harmful organisms hazardous for health and the economy. Toxigenic and plant pathogenic filamentous fungi, including causal agents of human infections, were chosen as exemplary fungal groups—Fusarium verticillioides, Penicillium expansum and Aspergillus flavus. Spodoptera littoralis (African cotton leafworm), Culex quinquefasciatus (Southern house mosquito), the lymphatic filariasis vector and potential Zika virus vector, and the common housefly, Musca domestica were chosen as model insects. Major and minor active substances were detected and quantified using GC/MS analysis. Environmental safety was verified using the non-target useful organism Eisenia fetida. Significant antifungal and insecticidal activity, as well as environmental safety, were confirmed. The essential oil showed the highest efficacy against A. flavus according to MIC50/90, and against S. littoralis larvae according to LD50/90. The monoterpenoid alcohol linalool, t-methyl cinnamate, and estragole as phenylpropanoids were detected as effective major components (85.4%). The essential oil from Ocimum sanctum L. was evaluated as universal and significantly efficient, providing a high potential for use in environmentally safe botanical pesticides.
Highlights
Ocimum sanctum L. is a legendary aromatic plant of the Lamiaceae family
Efforts to restrict the use of synthetic pesticides and reduce the environmental load have been observed in conventional agricultural systems in recent years [10]
This paper is primarily focused on the search for safe new alternatives that could be used for protection against hazardous toxigenic and pathogenic fungi and problematic insect pests, often vectors of dangerous human infections [12,16,17]
Summary
Ocimum sanctum L. is a legendary aromatic plant of the Lamiaceae family. It is an erect plant, 30–60 cm tall, used by humans for more than 3000 years. The antifungal and insecticidal effect of the essential oil (EO) from O. sanctum on toxigenic and pathogenic species of filamentous fungi that are important in both agriculture and medicine, Fusarium verticillioides, Penicillium expansum and Aspergillus flavus, is determined, evaluated and described in this paper. It studies the effects against important species of harmful and problematic insects, Spodoptera littoralis (African cotton leafworm), Culex quinquefasciatus (Southern house mosquito), the lymphatic filariasis vector and potential Zika virus vector [18,19] and the effects against the common housefly, Musca domestica. Major biologically active constituents of the EO were identified and quantified using GC/MS analysis
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