Piper fuligineum (Piperaceae) Essential Oil on Euschistus heros: Lethal and Sublethal Toxicities and Selectivity to an Egg Parasitoid Used in Applied Biological Control
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Plant Health, Federal University of Pelotas, Capão-do-Leão 96010-900, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
- 2Department of Biological Sciences, Mato Grosso State University, Tangará da Serra 78300-000, Mato Grosso, Brazil
- 3Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical, and Food Sciences, Federal University of Pelotas, Capão-do-Leão 96010-900, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
- 4Research Center for Family Agriculture, Agricultural Research and Rural Extension Company of Santa Catarina (CEPAF/EPAGRI), Chapecó 89801-970, Santa Catarina, Brazil
- 5Department of Education, Research, and Extension, Federal Institute of Santa Catarina, São Miguel do Oeste 89900-000, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Abstract
Euschistus heros is a major soybean pest in Neotropics, requiring sustainable control alternatives. This study characterized the chemical composition of Piper fuligineum essential oil (EOPF) and evaluated its bioactivity against different developmental stages of E. heros, as well as its selectivity toward the egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi. Chemical analysis identified 19 compounds accounting for 85.37% of EOPF, with a profile dominated by sesquiterpenes, particularly β-caryophyllene (10.60%), β-eremophyllene (10.46%), and eremophyllene (9.09). The major monoterpenes were 1-naphthalenol (9.88%), β-ocimene (5.48%), and β-pinene (5.16%). EOPF exhibited pronounced stage-dependent ovicidal activity, causing up to 91% egg inviability during early embryogenesis at the highest concentration tested (40,000 mg L−1). Exposure also markedly reduced the subsequent survival of nymphs emerging from treated eggs and caused concentration-dependent mortality in postembryonic stages, reaching, at 40,000 mg L−1, 53% in third-instar nymphs and 46% in adults. Selectivity toward T. podisi strongly depended on the timing of exposure. In pre-parasitism assays, parasitism and emergence were reduced to near 0% at ≥10,000 mg L−1, while in post-parasitism conditions, parasitism remained high (91–95%) but emergence declined to 0% at the highest concentration. Free-choice tests showed a pronounced repellent effect of EOPF, with females preferentially parasitizing untreated eggs. According to the IOBC classification, the EOPF ranged from slight to harmful, particularly affecting parasitoid emergence. These findings highlight the need to optimize concentration, exposure timing, and application strategy before integrating EOPF with parasitoid-based biological control.
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BibTeX
@article{nunes2026piper,
title = {{Piper fuligineum (Piperaceae) Essential Oil on Euschistus heros: Lethal and Sublethal Toxicities and Selectivity to an Egg Parasitoid Used in Applied Biological Control}},
author = {Vanessa Cardoso Nunes and Jonathan Pereira and Diones Krinski and Daniela Hartwig de Oliveira and Michele Trombin de Souza and Mireli Trombin de Souza and Leandro do Prado Ribeiro and Odimar Zanuzo Zanardi and Daniel Bernardi and Anderson Dionei Grutzmacher},
journal = {Molecules},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3390/molecules31213988},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/21/3988},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Piper fuligineum (Piperaceae) Essential Oil on Euschistus heros: Lethal and Sublethal Toxicities and Selectivity to an Egg Parasitoid Used in Applied Biological Control
AU - Vanessa Cardoso Nunes
AU - Jonathan Pereira
AU - Diones Krinski
AU - Daniela Hartwig de Oliveira
AU - Michele Trombin de Souza
AU - Mireli Trombin de Souza
AU - Leandro do Prado Ribeiro
AU - Odimar Zanuzo Zanardi
AU - Daniel Bernardi
AU - Anderson Dionei Grutzmacher
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/05
JO - Molecules
DO - 10.3390/molecules31213988
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/21/3988
AB - Euschistus heros is a major soybean pest in Neotropics, requiring sustainable control alternatives. This study characterized the chemical composition of Piper fuligineum essential oil (EOPF) and evaluated its bioactivity against different developmental stages of E. heros, as well as its selectivity toward the egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi. Chemical analysis identified 19 compounds accounting for 85.37% of EOPF, with a profile dominated by sesquiterpenes, particularly β-caryophyllene (10.60%), β-eremophyllene (10.46%), and eremophyllene (9.09). The major monoterpenes were 1-naphthalenol (9.88%), β-ocimene (5.48%), and β-pinene (5.16%). EOPF exhibited pronounced stage-dependent ovicidal activity, causing up to 91% egg inviability during early embryogenesis at the highest concentration tested (40,000 mg L−1). Exposure also markedly reduced the subsequent survival of nymphs emerging from treated eggs and caused concentration-dependent mortality in postembryonic stages, reaching, at 40,000 mg L−1, 53% in third-instar nymphs and 46% in adults. Selectivity toward T. podisi strongly depended on the timing of exposure. In pre-parasitism assays, parasitism and emergence were reduced to near 0% at ≥10,000 mg L−1, while in post-parasitism conditions, parasitism remained high (91–95%) but emergence declined to 0% at the highest concentration. Free-choice tests showed a pronounced repellent effect of EOPF, with females preferentially parasitizing untreated eggs. According to the IOBC classification, the EOPF ranged from slight to harmful, particularly affecting parasitoid emergence. These findings highlight the need to optimize concentration, exposure timing, and application strategy before integrating EOPF with parasitoid-based biological control.
SN - 1420-3049
ER -