Control of Brevicoryne brassicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) with extracts of Agave americana var. Marginata Trel. in Brassica oleracea crops

Abstract

Alternative methods of pest control can and should be encouraged, especially those that consider the reality of smallholder family farmers. Here, we evaluated the potential of Agave americana (agave) extracts for the control of the aphid Brevicoryne brassicae in cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var acephala) in the field and laboratory. The field experiments consisted of the evaluation of the proportion of dead aphids on cabbage plants after application of agave extracts. In the field, agave mixed with cow milk caused mortality above 80% and was the most effective extract. Agave mixed with water and agave mixed with ethanol elicited mortality above 60%. In the laboratory, we evaluated the mortality of aphids after the application of different concentrations of aqueous agave extracts; the commercial insecticide deltamethrin was included as positive control. Evaluation took place at 3, 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 hr after applying the treatment. As expected, deltamethrin was the most effective treatment. However, agave extract at concentrations of 0.750 and 0.500 g/mL caused >70% mortality 3 hr after application. We conclude that A. americana extracts decreased aphid populations and is a promising alternative to the commercial insecticide against aphids in cabbage. K E Y W O R D S agave, aphids, biopesticides, horticulture, plant extracts

Cabbage Production in West Africa and IPM with a Focus on Plant-Based Extracts and a Complementary Worldwide Vision

“…In the rest of the world, 139 plant species representing 44 families [ 149 , 153 , 154 , 156 , 166 , 169 , 170 , 171 , 172 , 173 , 174 , 175 , 176 , 177 , 178 , 179 , 180 , 181 , 182 , 183 , 184 , 185 , 186 , 187 , 188 , 189 , 190 , 191 , 192 , 193 , 194 , 195 , 196 , 197 , 198 , 199 , 200 , 201 , 202 , 203 , 204 , 205 , 206 , 207 , 208 , 209 , 210 , 211 , 212 , 213 , 214 , 215 , 216 ,…”

Hunting Bioactive Molecules from the Agave Genus: An Update on Extraction and Biological Potential

“…marginata Trel. had a 70% mortality rate against Brevicoryne brassicae at a concentration of 0.75 mg/mL after 3 h of application [81]. Alternatively, this species activity showed 70.3% and 92% of mortality against Aphis gossypii at 25 mg/mL after 24 and 36 h of application, respectively.…”

Plant extracts in agriculture and their applications in the treatment of seeds

“…The Brazilian productive leadership is related, primarily, to technological aspects, but also to the edaphoclimatic characteristics and; especially, to the availability of production fields. Nonetheless, a great part of this production is still based on the use of pesticides (SOARES et al, 2019), boosting investments in research on alternative technologies and ecological strategies aimed at agriculture (PEREIRA et al, 2018).…”

“…Another relevant factor is that in Brazil, great part of food production is derived from family agriculture or of small rural producers, who in turn have also practiced an agroecological-based agriculture (PEREIRA et al, 2018), using alternative sources for the control and management of pests and diseases, including the use of plant extracts (BARBoSA et al, 2015).…”