Cannabis sativa and Humulus lupulus essential oils as novel control tools against the invasive mosquito Aedes albopictus and fresh water snail Physella acuta

Abstract

Over the past several decades, there has been a resurgence of interest in industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L., Cannabaceae) cultivation. Besides fibre, seeds and oil, hemp contains high quantity of essential oil (EO). Hop (Humulus lupulus L., Cannabaceae) is a high-climbing, perennial vine, largely utilized in the brewing industry to add flavour and bitterness to beer. While it is known that hop also contains α- and ß-acids, and terpenes that have been found to be toxic, anti-feedant, and repellent for insects and mites, little is known about the bioactivity against problematic species of the hemp EO. In this study, the chemical composition of the EOs from C. sativa and H. lupulus was evaluated by GC-MS, and their acute toxicity was assessed against the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera Culicidae) and, the freshwater bladder snail Physella acuta (Draparnaud) (Mollusca Physidae), two problematic invasive species. Furthermore, we evaluated the toxicity of both EOs against a non-target insect, the mayfly Cloeon dipterum L. (Ephemeroptera Baetidae). Both EOs were toxic against the three tested species. The most effective EO was the C. sativa, able to kill 100% of P. acuta snails starting from 100 μL L-1. C. sativa LC50 were 301.560, 282.174 and, 35.370 μL L-1, while H. lupulus LC50 were 330.855, 219.787 and, 118.653 μL L-1 against A. albopictus, C. dipterum and P. acuta, respectively. Relative median potency analysis showed that the C. sativa EO was more toxic than H. lupulus against A. albopictus and P. acuta, while H. lupulus was more toxic than C. sativa EO against C. dipterum. The most susceptible species to the two EOs was P. acuta, while A. albopictus resulted the least susceptible one

Chemical Characterization of Leaves, Male and Female Flowers from Spontaneous Cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) Growing in Hungary

“…[28] This may justify the presence of several cannabinoids in our samples compared with the ones obtained from fresh material. [23,25,[28][29][30] In addition, genetics may also be considered for the highlighted differences found in the wild population of C. sativa. [12] Formerly, the essential oil from wild populations of C. sativa growing in Austria was studied by Novak and Franz [31] who reported myrcene (27.6 -32.0 %), (E)-βocimene (3.0 -12.6 %), (E)-caryophyllene (11.0 -16.2 %), caryophyllene oxide (6.8 -8.4 %) and CBD (9.8-10.9 %) as the major volatile components in the aerial parts harvested at the beginning of seed formation.…”

The Performance and Potentiality of Monoecious Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) Cultivars as a Multipurpose Crop

“…Furthermore, interest has recently been growing in the utilization of hemp inflorescences for extracting essential oils [9], namely non-psychotropic cannabinoids, terpenoids, and flavonoids [10] from the low-THC types cultivated. These provide interesting uses for cosmetic and medical applications, food supplements, and in agriculture, having activity against microbes [11,12], nematodes [13], mesophilic fungi [14], and insects [15][16][17][18]. This utilization, which involves harvesting inflorescences at flowering time, seems to exclude the production of seed, limiting the full exploitation of the crop.…”

Activity of Some Plant and Fungal Metabolites Towards Aedes Albopictus (Diptera, Culicidae)

“…The larval mortality percentages, obtained at 24 and 48 h, were reported as an average of values, from ve replicates, corrected using Abbotts's formula [68]. For calculating LC 50 and LC 90 at 95% con dence interval, the data obtained by the larval mortality at 24 and 48 h were corrected using Abbott's formula, transformed into arcsine/proportion values and then were subjected to probit regression analysis [69,70].…”