What question did this study set out to answer?

The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of oil-based botanical insecticides in controlling cocoa pod borer while assessing their impact on non-target ant species.

June 8, 2026Open Access

Eco-friendly oil-based botanical insecticides for cocoa, efficient in safeguarding non-target species from natural predators of formicide

Key Points

The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of oil-based botanical insecticides in controlling cocoa pod borer while assessing their impact on non-target ant species.
Conducted field trials in South Sulawesi using a randomized complete block design with eight treatments and four replicates.
Applied oil formulations from Reutealis trisperma and Cerbera manghas at 5 and 10 milliliters every 15 days for six cycles.
Monitored cocoa pod infestation, damage severity, yield loss, and non-target Formicidae abundance.
Botanical oil treatments reduced cocoa pod borer infestation significantly from 35–72% to 0–10% by the fifth application (p < 0.05).
Yield loss was significantly lower with botanical treatments (0.00–0.98%) compared to synthetic lambda-cyhalothrin (11.71%).
No consistent declines in ant abundance were observed across botanical treatments, which maintained low Formicidae levels.

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) is a major tropical cash crop in Indonesia, but yields are constrained by the cocoa pod borer (Conopomorpha cramerella), which can cause 30–50 percent losses. Conventional pyrethroid use often leads to resistance and harms non-target organisms; therefore, eco-friendly alternatives that preserve natural enemies are urgently needed. The study objectives were to evaluate oil-based botanical insecticides from Reutealis trisperma (candlenut) and Cerbera manghas (bintaro) for cocoa pod borer control and for impacts on non-target ants (Formicidae). METHODS: Field trials were conducted in South Sulawesi using a randomized complete block design (eight treatments × four replicates). Treatments included Reutealis trisperma and Cerbera manghas oil formulations (5 and 10 milliliters), a combined plant extract, lambda-cyhalothrin (1 milliliter), and untreated control. Applications were made with a knapsack sprayer every 15 days for six cycles. Thirty healthy pods per sampled tree were tagged and monitored for infestation, damage severity, and yield loss, which was estimated using a published regression model. Non-target monitoring focused on Formicidae; visual counts were recorded at each sampling and classified using an ordinal scale (+ = 1–10; ++ = 11–20; +++ = 21–30 ants per tree). Infestation, yield, and egg-laying suppression were analyzed by analysis of variance and Duncan’s Multiple Range Test at α = 0.05, while Formicidae data were summarized descriptively due to low field densities. FINDINGS: Botanical oil treatments significantly reduced cocoa pod borer infestation compared with the control (p < 0.05), decreasing from 35–72 percent initially to 0–10 percent by the fifth application; lambda-cyhalothrin showed no advantage (39–46 percent). Yield loss remained low in botanical treatments (0.00–0.98 percent) compared with 11.71 percent in the synthetic treatment, and egg-laying suppression reached 90–100 percent. Formicidae abundance remained in the low (+) category across botanical treatments, whereas the control averaged ++. No consistent treatment-related declines in ant abundance were observed. Phytotoxicity was minor and temporary. CONCLUSION: R. trisperma and C. manghas oil formulations are effective in suppressing cocoa pod borer and in conserving ants natural enemies under the conditions tested. These botanical insecticides therefore provide a viable, environmentally safer component of integrated pest management for sustainable cocoa production, with potential to reduce reliance on persistent synthetic pesticides when integrated with improved formulation and extension support.

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