Toxicity of Essential Oil of Mentha piperita (Lamiaceae) and its Monoterpenoid Menthol Against Tetranychus urticae Kogan 1836 (Acari: Tetranychidae)

Abstract

Essential oils from plants have remarkable biological properties, for example as insecticides and acaricides. Here we provide chemical analysis and evaluate the toxicity of the essential oil of Mentha piperita (Lamiaceae) and its main constituent menthol against Tetranychus urticae Kogan 1836 (Acari: Tetranychidae), a polyphagous pest present in agricultural landscapes. The essential oil was obtained from M. piperita leaves via hydrodistillation. Subsequently, concentration-response bioassays in adult females (fumigation and contact) were conducted to evaluate the lethal effect on the mite with three exposure intervals. We also evaluated the reproductive performance of females after exposure. Both substances were lethal in the fumigation bioassay, in addition, the essential oil was about 6-fold more toxic than menthol after 24 and 48 h of exposure. The fecundity of T. urticae females decreased inversely proportional to the increase of the used concentrations. Essential oil contact tests showed sublethal effects, with low mortality and reproductive stimulation of T. urticae females. Therefore, menthol and M. piperita essential oil can be considered potential acaricides for T. urticae by fumigant exposure due to the deleterious effect in adults and reduction in the number of individuals in subsequent generations, that represents a promising management tool.

Mentha spp. Essential Oils: A Potential Toxic Fumigant with Inhibition of Acetylcholinesterase Activity on Reticulitermes dabieshanensis

“…Govindarajan et al [13] showed M. spicata EO to have toxic effects on C. quinquefasciatus (LC 50 = 62.62 ppm), Aedes aegypti (LC 50 = 56.08 ppm) and Anopheles stephensi (LC 50 = 49.71 ppm). Studies also reported the effectiveness of M. piperita EO against Liposcelis bostrychophila [27], Culex pipiens [28], Tetranychus urticae [29], Phthorimaea absoluta [30], Tribolium castaneum, and Sitophilus oryzae [16,17]. The results of the present study and the previous ones by several authors showed similar trends in the toxicity of the essential oils used, even in different orders of insects.…”

Effects of water-based extracts of peppermint ( Mentha piperita L.) and French marigold (T agetes patula L.) on the transformation of larvae and nymphs of two-spotted spider mite ( Tetranychus urticae Koch)

“…Most studies investigating the limiting effect of natural substances on TSSM concern females, which is the most important life stage affecting the growth of TSSM populations. Kumar et al (2009) reported a significant reduction in oviposition and lifespan of TSSM exposed to fumigants with 5% menthol solutions of essential oil from M. arvensis L. However, an experiment carried out by De Souza et al (2022) revealed an increase in the fecundity of TSSM females exposed to M. piperita hydrodistillates and pure menthol. Menthol also has acaricidal and repellent properties, as observed by Isman and Tak (2017).…”

“…One of the most important plant species tested to date is French marigold -Tagetes patula L. (Asteraceae). T. patula plants produce terpenes, thiophenes and many polyacetylene compounds for which different effects have been reported: biocidal (De Souza et al 2022), antibacterial, antifungal, insecticidal and nematocidal and tick-repelling (Benelli et al 2016;De Souza et al 2022). Ismail et al (2019) reported that the T. patula extract had toxic, ovicidal and repellent effects on TSSM and caused a 30-50% reduction in oviposition.…”

“…Two water-based extracts, from T. patula and peppermint Mentha piperita L., were evaluated in our study for their acaricidal effect. The essential oils from plants used in the experiment contain volatile secondary metabolites, mainly terpenes (De Souza et al 2022), which are botanical insecticides, and some of them are commercially available ingredients of pesticides. Many essential oils are used as insecticides due to their direct activity, biodegradability and low ecotoxicity (Turchen et al 2016).…”

“…Essential oils from peppermint, French marigold and other plants contain many natural compounds with acaricidal properties. The insecticidal and acaricidal effects of peppermint oil are attributed to terpenoids (De Souza et al 2022).…”