Insecticidal Activities of <i>Atriplex halimus</i> L., <i>Salvia rosmarinus</i> Spenn. and <i>Cuminum cyminum</i> L. against <i>Dactylopius opuntiae</i> (Cockerell) under Laboratory and Greenhouse Conditions
Imane Naboulsi,
Karim El Fakhouri,
Rachid Lamzira,
Chaimae Ramdani,
Gabin Thierry M. Bitchagno,
Rachid Boulamtat,
Widad Ben Bakrim,
Ismail Mahdi,
Aziz Aboulmouhajir,
Abdelaziz Yasri,
Mustapha El Bouhssini,
Jane L. Ward,
Mansour Sobeh
Affiliations
Imane Naboulsi
AgroBioSciences Program, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Lot 660, Hay Moulay Rachid, Ben Guerir 43150, Morocco
Karim El Fakhouri
AgroBioSciences Program, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Lot 660, Hay Moulay Rachid, Ben Guerir 43150, Morocco
Rachid Lamzira
AgroBioSciences Program, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Lot 660, Hay Moulay Rachid, Ben Guerir 43150, Morocco
Chaimae Ramdani
Entomology Laboratory, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Rabat Institutes, Rabat 10100, Morocco
Gabin Thierry M. Bitchagno
AgroBioSciences Program, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Lot 660, Hay Moulay Rachid, Ben Guerir 43150, Morocco
Rachid Boulamtat
Entomology Laboratory, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Rabat Institutes, Rabat 10100, Morocco
Widad Ben Bakrim
AgroBioSciences Program, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Lot 660, Hay Moulay Rachid, Ben Guerir 43150, Morocco
Ismail Mahdi
AgroBioSciences Program, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Lot 660, Hay Moulay Rachid, Ben Guerir 43150, Morocco
Aziz Aboulmouhajir
Organic Synthesis, Extraction and Valorization Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences Ain Chock, Hassan II University, Km 8 El Jadida Road, Casablanca 20000, Morocco
Abdelaziz Yasri
AgroBioSciences Program, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Lot 660, Hay Moulay Rachid, Ben Guerir 43150, Morocco
Mustapha El Bouhssini
AgroBioSciences Program, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Lot 660, Hay Moulay Rachid, Ben Guerir 43150, Morocco
Jane L. Ward
Computational and Analytical Sciences, Rothamsted Research, West Common, Harpenden AL5 2JQ, UK
Mansour Sobeh
AgroBioSciences Program, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Lot 660, Hay Moulay Rachid, Ben Guerir 43150, Morocco
The wild cochineal Dactylopius opuntiae (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae) is one of the major insect pests of the prickly pear Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) in Morocco, a well-known fruit and vegetable crop of arid and semi-arid regions around the world. The present study investigated the insecticidal potential of six extracts (three aqueous and three hydroalcoholic (MeOH/H2O, 20/80 (v/v)) from Atriplex halimus (leaves), Salvia rosmarinus (leaves) and Cuminum cyminum (seeds) to control nymphs and adult females of D. opuntiae under laboratory and greenhouse conditions. Out of the tested samples, A. halimus aqueous extract showed the highest activity, inducing mortality rates of 67.04% (after 4 days) and 85% (after 8 days) on nymphs and adult females of D. opuntiae, respectively, at a concentration of 5% under laboratory conditions. It also showed the highest mortality rate of nymphs with 100% (4 days after application) and 83.75% of adult females (7 days after the second application) at a concentration of 5% when combined with black soap at 10 g/L under greenhouse conditions. The difference in the toxicity of plant species of the study was correlated with their saponin content. A total of 36 of these triterpene glucosides were suggested after a comprehensive LC-MSn profiling of the most active extract, A. halimus, in addition to phytoecdysones and glycosylated phenolic acids and flavonoids. These findings provided evidence that the aqueous leaf extract of A. halimus could be incorporated in the management of the wild cochineal as an alternative to chemical insecticides.