Abstract
The present study analyzed the chemical composition of Juniperus foetidissima Willd. essential oils (EOs) and evaluated their attractancy and toxicity to two agriculturally important tephritid fruit flies. The composition of hydrodistilled EOs obtained from leaves (JFLEO) and fruits (JFFEO) of J. foetidissima was analyzed by GC–FID and GC–MS. The main compounds were α-pinene (45%) and cedrol (18%) in the JFLEO and α-pinene (42%), α-thujone (12%), and β-thujone (25%) in the JFFEO. In behavioral bioassays of the male Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), both JFLEO and JFFEO showed strong attraction comparable to that observed with two positive controls, Melaleuca alternifolia and Tetradenia riparia EOs. In topical bioassays of the female Caribbean fruit fly, Anastrepha suspensa (Loew), the toxicity of JFFEO was two-fold higher than that of JFLEO, with the LD50 values being 10.46 and 22.07 µg/µL, respectively. This could be due to differences in chemical components between JFLEO and JFFEO. The JFFEO was dominated by 48% monoterpene hydrocarbons (MH) and 46% oxygenated monoterpenes (OM), while JFLEO consisted of 57% MH, 18% OM, and 20% oxygenated sesquiterpenes (OS). This is the first study to evaluate the attractancy and toxicity of J. foetidissima EOs to tephritid fruit flies. Our results indicate that JFFEO has the potential for application to the management of pest tephritid species, and further investigation is warranted.
Highlights
Resistance to chemical pesticides and the negative effects of chemical residues on the environment, non-target organisms, and human health have led to an urgent need for more environmentally sound strategies for pest management [1,2,3]
The major compounds identified in JFLEO were α-pinene and cedrol, while JFFEO contained α-pinene, α-thujone, and β-thujone
The differences in chemical composition between the two Essential oils (EOs) may account for the differences in their attractiveness and toxicity observed in two tephritid species
Summary
Resistance to chemical pesticides and the negative effects of chemical residues on the environment, non-target organisms, and human health have led to an urgent need for more environmentally sound strategies for pest management [1,2,3]. Essential oils (EOs) and their rich source of bioactive compounds are considered one of the best resources for the development of alternative insect control agents [1,2,4,5]. Developing new fruit fly attractants (e.g., host-based kairomones) and alternative plant-based toxicants are promising approaches for improving monitoring tools and pest suppression strategies while minimizing pest management’s environmental impact [6,7]. The evaluation of EOs for novel bioactive compounds is critical to developing alternatives to conventional pest control methods
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