Oligonychus afrasiaticus (McGregor) (Acari: Tetranychidae) is a major pest that causes significant economic losses to date palm, Phoenix dactylifera L. (Arecales: Arecaceae), fruit in southern Tunisia and Algeria, where climatic conditions are highly conducive to development of this insect. In our efforts to develop sustainable management alternatives for O. afrasiaticus, essential oils extracted from Lantana camara L. and Ruta chalepensis L. were tested against O. afrasiaticus adult females. Both essential oils exhibited acaricidal activity against O. afrasiaticus in laboratory bioassays of concentration–mortality responses. At 96 h after exposure, the median lethal concentrations were 5,259 µl/ml for the L. camara extract and 3,329 µl/ml for the R. chalepensis extract. Based on median lethal times, the acute toxicity of the extracts against O. afrasiaticus was higher with L. camara than with R. chalepensis at a concentration of 50 ml/ml. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the primary constituents of the essential oil extracted from L. camara were humulene (26.65%), caryophyllene (26.33%), and γ-muurolene (14.22%). The predominant compounds in the essential oil obtained from R. chalepensis were 2-undecanone (50.52%), 2-nonanone (11.27%), and 2-octanol, acetate (9.17%). These two essential oils have potential for development as botanical acaricides for the management of O. afrasiaticus in date palm production in this region.
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19 June 2024
Acaricidal Activity of Essential Oils from Lantana camara (Verbenaceae) and Ruta chalepensis (Rutaceae) against Oligonychus afrasiaticus (Acari: Tetranychidae)
El Habib Gaid,
Sabrine Chouikhi,
Besma Hamrouni Assadi,
Kaouthar Grissa Lebdi,
Mohamed Sadok Belkadhi
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Journal of Entomological Science
Vol. 59 • No. 3
July 2024
Vol. 59 • No. 3
July 2024
acaricidal activity
alternative control
biological control
botanical acaricides
Tetranychidae