Chemical composition of Illicium verum fruit extract and its bioactivity against the peach–potato aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer)

Abstract

The chemical components of Illicium verum fruit extracts in methyl alcohol (MA), ethyl acetate (EA), and petroleum ether (PE) were determined through GC–MS analysis. The bioactivity of the extracts against Myzus persicae was also investigated to assess their roles in the control of aphids. Forty-four compounds with more than 0.20% mass percentage were identified. Trans-anethole was the most abundant component and comprised 41.14, 52.54, and 72.25% of the MA, EA, and PE extracts, respectively. The biological activity assays on M. persicae showed that increasing the concentration and prolonging the exposure to the extracts enhanced contact toxicity. After 72 h of treatment, 1.000 mg/L MA, EA, and PE extracts caused 68.93, 89.95, and 74.46% mortality, respectively. The LC50 values of MA, EA, and PE extracts against M. persicae were 0.31, 0.14, and 0.27 mg/L, respectively. The deterrent effect of 1.0 mg/L EA extract was the highest. The average antifeedant rate reached 76.88% at 48 h. The development period of M. persicae nymphs was prolonged to more than 2 days when sprayed with 0.1 mg/L MA extract at 25 °C. Hence, I. verum fruit extracts exhibit considerable potential for M. persicae control programs.