Abstract
Similar to other pear psylla species in Europe and America, Cacopsylla chinensis (Yang and Li) is one of the most important pests that causes yield loss in commercial pear orchards in China. To investigate effective essential oils as alternatives to conventional pesticides against C. chinensis, 26 essential oils derived from commonly used Chinese spices and medicinal herbs were screened for insecticidal activity. Among these, the essential oil from Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton leaves was the top performer; it exhibited strong and acute toxicity against pear psylla, with an LD50 value of 0.63 μg per adult. Then, we tested the constituents of the essential oil and its toxicity in the field. Field trials showed a 72% corrected reduction in the first-second-instar population 7 d after spraying P. frutescens leaf oil solution at a concentration of 1 mg/ml and a 47% corrected reduction at days 3 and 14. This report is the first to document the application of essential oil from P. frutescens leaves to control C. chinensis under field conditions. Our results suggest that P. frutescens oil can be considered a novel potential pesticide for C. chinensis control in pear orchards.
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