Analysis reveals essential oils from melaleuca alternifolia and eucalyptus staigeriana significantly reduce lifespan in tuta absoluta, suggesting biological control potential.
The Tuta absoluta species represents a significant threat to solanaceous crops globally and has developed resistance to conventional synthetic insecticides. This study investigated the insecticidal properties of essential oils (EOs) from Melaleuca alternifolia and Eucalyptus staigeriana against T. absoluta using the age-stage, two-sex life table methodology. Initially, the EOs of M. alternifolia and E. staigeriana were chemically characterized by gas chromatography (GC) techniques. In this analysis, we identified 19 compounds in M. alternifolia essential oil, with terpinen-4-ol, γ-terpinene, and α-terpinene as the predominant constituents. Eucalyptus staigeriana essential oil contained 25 identified compounds, predominantly limonene, terpinolene, geranial, and neral. Essential oils were dissolved in acetone and applied topically to larval stages. Both treatments significantly reduced pest longevity and adversely affected key demographic parameters. Melaleuca alternifolia treatment resulted in a substantial decrease in the intrinsic rate of population increase, indicating potential for population suppression. These findings support the potential application of M. alternifolia and E. staigeriana EOs as biological control agents against T. absoluta in integrated pest management programs.
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Braga et al. (2025) studied this question.
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