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Toxicity of essential oil compounds against diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, and their impact on detoxification enzyme activities

Journal of Pest Science volume 87, pages 721–729 (2014)Cite this article

Abstract

Essential oils are by-products of plant metabolism that are now known to interfere with basic metabolic, physiological and behavioral functions of insects, thereby having promise for use as pest control agents. Accordingly, four essential oil compounds, thymol, 1,8-cineole, linalool and pulegone, were evaluated against the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (Linnaeus) (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae), to determine their acute toxicity. Thymol and 1,8-cineole were highly toxic to third instars with a LD50 of 0.22 and 0.41 μg/larva, respectively. Linalool and pulegone were moderately active against this insect species, exhibiting <45 % mortality in up to 15 μg/larva. However, in biorational mixtures pulegone was synergistic to both thymol and 1,8-cineole where the increase in activity was almost twofold. Thymol and 1,8-cineole, though active individually against P. xylostella larvae, were antagonistic as biorational mixtures. Linalool was antagonistic in all combinations. In various assays with detoxification enzymes in treated conditions, there was a significant increase in enzyme levels both in vivo and in vitro. Thymol and 1,8-cineole were the active toxicants against P. xylostella, with significant potential to control this pest as biorational mixtures in a synergistic combination with pulegone. Induction in enzyme levels by these compounds suggests possibilities of resistance, which at present remains a speculation, but cannot be summarily ignored because the induction of enzymes due to involvement of detoxification enzymes in the metabolism of a broad range of xenobiotics and secondary metabolites in plants is well known.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. M.J. Smirle, Agriculture Canada, Summerland, Canada, for valuable comments and suggestions for the earlier version of this manuscript. This research was supported by funding from the Zoology Department, Assistant Researcher Funding and ScRF from the Faculty of Science and Graduate School, Kasetsart University. W.P. is grateful to the Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry (PERCH-CIC), Office of the Higher Education Commission, Ministry of Education, for the financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biopesticides Toxicology Speciality Research Unit, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, 10900, Thailand

    Nutchaya Kumrungsee, Opender Koul & Vasakorn Bullangpoti

  2. Department of Chemistry and Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, 10900, Thailand

    Wanchai Pluempanupat

  3. Insect Biopesticide Research Centre, 30 Parkash Nagar, Jalandhar, 144003, India

    Opender Koul

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  1. Nutchaya Kumrungsee
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  2. Wanchai Pluempanupat
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  3. Opender Koul
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  4. Vasakorn Bullangpoti
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Correspondence to Vasakorn Bullangpoti.

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Communicated by M. B. Isman.

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Kumrungsee, N., Pluempanupat, W., Koul, O. et al. Toxicity of essential oil compounds against diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, and their impact on detoxification enzyme activities. J Pest Sci 87, 721–729 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-014-0602-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-014-0602-6

Keywords

  • Acute toxicity
  • Essential oil compounds
  • Biorational mixtures
  • Diamondback moth
  • P. xylostella
  • Detoxification enzymes