Repellent Effects of Coconut Fatty Acid Methyl Esters and Their Blends with Bioactive Volatiles on Winged <i>Myzus persicae</i> (Sulzer) Aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Abstract

Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is one of the most important aphid crop pests, due to its direct damage and its ability to transmit viral diseases in crops. The objective is to test whether spraying nanoemulsions of botanical products repels winged individuals of M. persicae in a bioassay in culture chambers. The bioactive volatiles were applied on pepper plants at a dose of 0.2% alone or at 0.1% of each component in blends. A treated plant and a control plant were placed at each side of an entomological cage inside a growth chamber. The winged individuals were released between the plants, in a black-painted Petri dish suspended by wires in the upper half of the cage. The most repellent products were farnesol (repellency index, RI = 40.24%), (E)-anethole (RI = 30.85%) and coconut fatty acid methyl ester (coconut FAME) (RI = 28.93%), alone or in the following blends: farnesol + (E)-anethole + distilled lemon oil (RI = 36.55%) or (E)-anethole + distilled lemon oil + coconut FAME (RI = 30.63%). The observed effect of coconut FAME on aphids is the first report of this product having a repellent effect on a crop pest. Repellent substances for viral disease vectors should be further investigated to develop new strategies for plant protection.

Keywords

• nanoemulsions
• farnesol
• <i>(E)</i>-anethole
• pepper plants
• choice bioassay
• virus-transmitting sucking pests