Bioactivity of <i>Carlina acaulis</i> Essential Oil and Its Main Component towards the Olive Fruit Fly, <i>Bactrocera</i> <i>oleae</i>: Ingestion Toxicity, Electrophysiological and Behavioral Insights
Roberto Rizzo,
Marco Pistillo,
Giacinto Salvatore Germinara,
Gabriella Lo Verde,
Milko Sinacori,
Filippo Maggi,
Riccardo Petrelli,
Eleonora Spinozzi,
Loredana Cappellacci,
Valeria Zeni,
Angelo Canale,
Giovanni Benelli
Affiliations
Roberto Rizzo
CREA Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification, SS.113, Km 245,5, 90011 Bagheria, PA, Italy
Marco Pistillo
Department of Agricultural Sciences, Food, Natural Resources and Engineering, University of Foggia, Via Napoli 25, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Giacinto Salvatore Germinara
Department of Agricultural Sciences, Food, Natural Resources and Engineering, University of Foggia, Via Napoli 25, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Gabriella Lo Verde
Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 5, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Milko Sinacori
Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 5, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Filippo Maggi
School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Via S. Agostino 1, 62032 Camerino, Italy
Riccardo Petrelli
School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Via S. Agostino 1, 62032 Camerino, Italy
Eleonora Spinozzi
School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Via S. Agostino 1, 62032 Camerino, Italy
Loredana Cappellacci
School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Via S. Agostino 1, 62032 Camerino, Italy
Valeria Zeni
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Angelo Canale
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Giovanni Benelli
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Among botanical insecticides based on essential oils (EOs) or their main components, Carlina acaulis EO and the aromatic polyacetylene carlina oxide, constituting more than 90% of its EO, were recently proven to be effective against the larvae and adults of some insect vectors and pests. In this study, the toxicity of C. acaulis EO and carlina oxide were tested on Bactrocera oleae adults using a protein bait formulation. The LC50 values of the C. acaulis EO and carlina oxide were 706 ppm and 1052 ppm, respectively. Electroantennographic (EAG) tests on B. oleae adults showed that both carlina EO and oxide elicited EAG dose-dependent responses in male and female antennae. The responses to the EO were significantly higher than those to carlina oxide, indicating that other compounds, despite their lower concentrations, can play a relevant role. Moreover, Y-tube assays carried out to assess the potential attractiveness or repellency of carlina oxide LC90 to B. oleae adults showed that it was unattractive to both males and females of B. oleae, and the time spent by both sexes in either the control or the treatment arm did not differ significantly. Overall, this study points out the potential use of C. acaulis EO and carlina oxide for the development of green and effective “lure-and-kill” tools.
