Environment-Friendly Control Potential of Two Citrus Essential Oils against <i>Aphis punicae</i> and <i>Aphis illinoisensis</i> (Hemiptera: Aphididae)
Saqer S. Alotaibi,
Hadeer Darwish,
Ahmed K. Alzahrani,
Sarah Alharthi,
Akram S. Alghamdi,
Amal M. Al-Barty,
Mona Helal,
Amal Maghrabi,
Alaa Baazeem,
Hala A. Alamari,
Ahmed Noureldeen
Affiliations
Saqer S. Alotaibi
Department of Biotechnology, College of Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
Hadeer Darwish
Department of Biotechnology, College of Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
Ahmed K. Alzahrani
College of Applied Medical Sciences, Northern Border University, P.O. Box 1321, Arar 91431, Saudi Arabia
Sarah Alharthi
Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
Akram S. Alghamdi
Department of Biology, College of Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
Amal M. Al-Barty
Department of Biology, College of Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
Mona Helal
Pomology Department, Horticulture Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza 12619, Egypt
Amal Maghrabi
Department of Biotechnology, College of Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
Alaa Baazeem
Department of Biology, College of Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
Hala A. Alamari
Institute of Biology and Environmental Research, National Center for Biotechnology, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, P.O. Box 6086, Riyadh 11442, Saudi Arabia
Ahmed Noureldeen
Department of Biology, College of Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
Aphids are serious pests of a wide range of agricultural crops, including pomegranates and grapevines. In addition, due to the negative environmental impacts of chemical insecticides, these pests are developing important resistance against aphicides. Therefore, one alternative method to control aphids is the use of essential oils (EO). The present study aimed to evaluate the insecticidal activity of Citrus aurantium and C. reticulata peel EO at different concentrations and with different exposure periods to pomegranate and grapevine aphids, Aphis punicae and A. illinoisensis via the topical application method under laboratory conditions. The results reveal that C. aurantium L. EO had greater toxicity against pomegranate and grapevine aphids, with LC50 of 0.37 and 0.82 μL/mL, respectively, at 48 h after application. The highest repellence effect was estimated for C. aurantium EO, at 2.5 μL/cm2, on A. punicae, with a value of 100% after an exposure time of 3 h, in contrast to the 88% repellence estimated for A. illinoisensis. The GC-MS investigation of both essential oils identified limonene, 3-carene, pinene, and p-cymene as active substances that could be attributed to the effects observed. Overall, our results offer a potential tool to control the two aphid species and could help in the development of integrated insect management in pomegranate and grapevine fields.
