Abstract
Plants of the genus Aristolochia have been frequently reported as important medicinal plants. Despite their high bioactive potential, to date, there are no reports of their effects on leaf-cutting ants. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the insecticidal activity of the essential oil of Aristolochia trilobata and its major components on Atta sexdens and Acromyrmex balzani, two species of leaf-cutting ants. The bioassays were performed regarding routes of exposure, acute toxicity, binary mixtures of the major components and behavioral effects. Twenty-five components were identified in the essential oil of A. trilobata using a gas chromatographic system equipped with a mass spectrometer and a flame ionization detector. The components found in higher proportions were sulcatyl acetate, limonene, p-cymene and linalool. The essential oil of A. trilobata and its individual major components were efficient against A. balzani and A. sexdens workers when applied by fumigation. These components showed fast and efficient insecticidal activity on ants. The components acted synergistically and additively on A. balzani and A. sexdens, respectively, and caused a strong repellency/irritability in the ants. Thus, our results demonstrate the great potential of the essential oil of A. trilobata and its major components for the development of new insecticides.
Highlights
Leaf-cutting ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) stand out as one of the most important pests in Neotropical regions because of their high abundance and wide distribution and the enormous economic losses they cause to agriculture and forestry [1]
The present study evaluated the insecticidal activity of Aristolochia trilobata against workers of the leaf-cutting ants Acromyrmex balzani and Atta sexdens with the following aims: (i) identifying and quantifying the components present in A. trilobata essential oil; (ii) studying the route of exposure of these insects to the essential oil and its major components; (iii) evaluating the toxicity of the essential oil and its major components to Acromyrmex balzani and Atta sexdens workers; (iv) determining the presence of synergistic, additive and/or antagonistic effects after the binary mixing of major essential oil components; and (v) observing the behavioral responses of ant workers exposed to the essential oil and its major components
A total of 25 components, representing 98.72% of the total composition of A. trilobata essential oil, were identified by a gas chromatographic system equipped with a mass spectrometer and a flame ionization detector (GC/MS/FID), with the majority of the components belonging to the monoterpene family (84.83%) (Table 1)
Summary
Leaf-cutting ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) stand out as one of the most important pests in Neotropical regions because of their high abundance and wide distribution and the enormous economic losses they cause to agriculture and forestry [1]. Other advantages of using these products include their rapid degradation in the environment, fast effect on the target organism and relatively low toxicity to mammals [6]. Another notable characteristic of essential oils compared with other products, such as conventional insecticides, is the interaction between their components. When synergistic, these interactions may potentiate the biological effects of essential oils, allowing the application of lower doses and, reducing management costs and environmental risks [7]. These synergistic actions may occur between major essential oil components, increasing the oil efficacy [8,9,10]
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