Control of Chrysodeixis includens with Extracts from Annona squamosa L. Seeds and Their Toxicological Effects on Danio rerio

The objective of this study was to evaluate the insecticidal potential of custard apple (Annona squamosa L.) seed extract against Chrysodeixis includens, a major soybean pest, and to assess its toxicological effects on a non-target organism. The extract was obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction using water as the solvent. Ingestion bioassays exposed C. includens larvae to aqueous extract concentrations ranging from 0.25 to 10.0 g/L, with Dipel WG® (5 g/L) and an untreated diet used as positive and negative controls, respectively. Mortality rates ranged from 40 to 97%, increasing with exposure time and concentration up to 1 g/L and remaining statistically stable at higher concentrations after 120 h. Extract concentrations from 1 to 10 g/L did not differ significantly from the positive control. Ecotoxicological assays were conducted using zebrafish (Danio rerio) exposed to extract concentrations of 0.84–16.80 µg/L, and biomarkers of neurotoxicity and oxidative stress were evaluated. At 16.8 µg/L, the extract caused lower biomarker alterations than Dipel WG®, indicating reduced oxidative damage. Overall, A. squamosa seed extract effectively controls C. includens at low concentrations with minimal environmental risk to non-target organisms.