Abstract
Botanical insecticides and soaps are frequently proposed as environmentally safer alternatives to synthetic insecticides. However, the efficacy and selectivity of these products are often only partially supported by empirical evidence. Here, we tested the effectiveness of five botanical insecticides, belonging to different categories, on the green peach aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer) and their selectivity towards two natural enemies, the ladybird beetle Propylea quatuordecimpunctata (L.) and the parasitoid Aphidius colemani (Dalman). White thyme essential oil (EO), sweet orange EO, crude garlic extract and Marseille soap were tested and compared with a pyrethrin-based commercial product. Both direct spray assays and residual contact assays on treated cabbage leaf disks were carried out. The tested products had low efficacy against aphids when compared to pyrethrins but were in general less detrimental to ladybird beetle larvae, meaning that if applied against other pests, they have a lower chance of harming this agent of aphid biocontrol. Some of the products (soap, orange EO) did, however, show direct exposure toxicity toward ladybird larvae, and thyme EO had extensive phytotoxic effects on cabbage leaves, possibly indirectly leading to higher mortality in ladybird adults. These results underline the necessity for case-by-case evaluations of botanical insecticides.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Botanical products had lower aphid efficacy than pyrethrins.
- Taxon
- cabbage
Brassica oleracea var. capitatae0e1e2 - Interactor
- aphidsAphidomorphae0e1e2pest
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The tested products had low efficacy against aphids when compared to pyrethrins”
e1“treated cabbage leaf disks”
e2“The tested products had low efficacy against aphids when compared to pyrethrins”
Claim · model-written summary
Tested products were generally less harmful to ladybird larvae than pyrethrins.
- Taxon
- cabbageBrassica oleracea var. capitatae0e1e2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“were in general less detrimental to ladybird beetle larvae, meaning that if applied against other pests, they have a lower chance of harming this agent of aphid biocontrol”
e1“treated cabbage leaf disks”
e2“The tested products had low efficacy against aphids when compared to pyrethrins”
Claim · model-written summary
Soap directly poisoned ladybird larvae.
- Taxon
- cabbageBrassica oleracea var. capitatae0e1e2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Some of the products (soap, orange EO) did, however, show direct exposure toxicity toward ladybird larvae”
e1“treated cabbage leaf disks”
e2“The tested products had low efficacy against aphids when compared to pyrethrins”
Claim · model-written summary
Orange essential oil directly poisoned ladybird larvae.
- Taxon
- cabbageBrassica oleracea var. capitatae0e1e2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Some of the products (soap, orange EO) did, however, show direct exposure toxicity toward ladybird larvae”
e1“treated cabbage leaf disks”
e2“The tested products had low efficacy against aphids when compared to pyrethrins”
Claim · model-written summary
Thyme essential oil caused extensive phytotoxicity on cabbage leaves.
- Taxon
- cabbageBrassica oleracea var. capitatae0e1e2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“thyme EO had extensive phytotoxic effects on cabbage leaves”
e1“treated cabbage leaf disks”
e2“The tested products had low efficacy against aphids when compared to pyrethrins”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend case-by-case evaluation of botanical insecticides.
- Taxon
- cabbageBrassica oleracea var. capitatae0e1e2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“These results underline the necessity for case-by-case evaluations of botanical insecticides”
e1“treated cabbage leaf disks”
e2“The tested products had low efficacy against aphids when compared to pyrethrins”
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