When Scent Becomes a Weapon—Plant Essential Oils as Potent Bioinsecticides

Abstract

Crop protection still mostly relies on synthetic pesticides for crop pest control. However, the rationale for their continued use is shaded by the revealed adverse effects, such as relatively long environmental persistence that leads to water and soil contamination and retention of residues in food that brings high risks to human and animal health. As part of integrated pest management, biopesticides may provide crop protection, being eco-friendly and safe for humans and non-target organisms. Essential oils, complex mixtures of low-molecular-weight, highly volatile compounds, have been highlighted as major candidates for plant-derived bioinsecticides that are up to the sustainable biological standard. In this review, we screened the insecticidal activity of essential oils or their purified compounds, with focus given to their modes of action, along with the analyzed advantages and problems associated with their wider usage as plant-derived insecticides in agriculture.

Using of Essential Oils and Plant Extracts against Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. glycinea and Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens on Soybean

“…Undoubtedly, the use of these substances in industrial volumes to control soybean bacterial diseases requires several additional studies. In particular, it is necessary to choose formulation to obtain stable emulsions/solutions of EOs and PEs when treating plants [ 76 , 77 ]. Packaging is also promising, in particular that of EOs in nanoformulations, which make it possible to reduce the consumption rate of the active substance and increase efficiency due to more uniform contact of the substance with the pathogen/plant [ 78 , 79 ].…”

Can Essential Oils Be a Natural Alternative for the Control of Spodoptera frugiperda? A Review of Toxicity Methods and Their Modes of Action

“…The physicochemical properties of the EO molecules modulate the routes of entry into the organism [ 39 , 40 ]. EOs are lipophilic complex mixtures of hydrocarbon compounds of 10 to 15 carbon atoms with different functional groups, such as phenols, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols and hydrocarbons [ 24 ].…”

“…Insect AChE has a specific cysteine residue that differs from that of the mammalian enzyme [ 99 ], with achieving its inhibition being a point of interest in the search for natural or synthetic insecticides. Therefore, AChE activity is the most studied enzymatic reaction in relation to the toxicity of insecticides [ 40 ].…”

“…Due to the complex nature of EOs, their effects usually differ from those of their main pure components, making it difficult to determine their mode of action [ 40 ]. Moreover, AChE inhibition can occur through two pathways: (1) EO components can act as competitive inhibitors with respect to acetylcholine (ACh) binding to the active sites of the enzyme; or (2) EO components can bind non-specifically to other sites on the enzyme (non-competitive inhibitors) and allosterically modify them.…”

Pengendalian Hama Belalang (Valanga nigricornis) Dengan Bioinsektisida Batang Brotowali (Tinospora crispa)

“…Resistensi hama juga akan lama terjadi karena campuran beberapa senyawa toksik yang terdapat di dalamnya akan terus berubah dan menyerang fisik hama. Senyawa organik ini juga mudah terurai dan residunya tidak berbahaya bagi lingkungan [5].…”