Aphicidal activity of selected Asteraceae essential oils and their effect on enzyme activities of the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer)

Abstract

The essential oils derived from Asteraceae plants were evaluated for their insecticidal activity towards Myzus persicae (Sulzer) and for their effects on the activity of selected enzymes within aphid tissues. The chemical composition of the essential oils was determined by GC–MS analysis. In laboratory bioassays, the studied oils not only displayed anti-settling activity, but also exerted a notable toxic effect on aphid females. Among the tested essential oils, those from Santolina chamaecyparissus and Achillea millefolium exhibited the strongest toxicities, followed by those from Tanacetum vulgare, Tagetes patula and Artemisia absinthium: the LC50 values after 24h treatment were 0.34%, 0.34%, 0.47%, 0.61% and 0.69%, respectively. The present results also showed that the essential oils inhibited the activity of the aphid acetylcholinesterase and Na+/K+-ATPase. The enzyme inhibition varied depending on the applied oil and exposure time. Generally, the essential oils with stronger aphicidal activities also exhibited higher inhibitory effects. The activity of glutathione S-transferase in M. persicae was upregulated after treatment with essential oils, especially during the first two days following exposure. The obtained results suggest that essential oils from the studied Asteraceae plants can affect important biochemical processes within aphid tissues and may be considered as potent biopesticides in green peach aphid control.