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Insecticidal Activity of Piper Essential Oils from the Amazon Against the Fire Ant Solenopsis saevissima (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

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Abstract

Pepper plants in the genus Piper (Piperales: Piperaceae) are common in the Brazilian Amazon and many produce compounds with biological activity against insect pests. We evaluated the insecticidal effect of essential oils from Piper aduncum, Piper marginatum (chemotypes A and B), Piper divaricatum and Piper callosum against workers of the fire ant Solenopsis saevissima (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), as well as their chemical composition by gas chromatography and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The lowest median lethal concentration (LC50) in 48 h was obtained with the oil of P. aduncum (58.4 mg/L), followed by the oils of P. marginatum types A (122.4 mg/L) and B (167.0 mg/L), P. divaricatum (301.7 mg/L), and P. callosum (312.6 mg/L). The major chemical constituents were dillapiole (64.4%) in the oil of P. aduncum; p-mentha-1(7),8-diene (39.0%), 3,4-methylenedioxypropiophenone (19.0%), and (E)-β-ocimene (9.8%) in P. marginatum chemotype A and (E)-isoosmorhizole (32.2%), (E)-anethole (26.4%), isoosmorhizole (11.2%), and (Z)-anethole (6.0%) in P. marginatum chemotype B; methyleugenol (69.2%) and eugenol (16.2%) in P. divaricatum; and safrole (69.2%), methyleugenol (8.6%), and β-pinene (6.2%) in P. callosum. These chemical constituents have been previously known to possess insecticidal properties.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to MCT/CNPq and FAPESPA/PA and Betty & Gordon Moore Foundation for financial support, as well as to IEPA/AP and MPEG/PA for laboratory facilities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Depto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Univ Federal do Amapá, Macapá, AP, Brasil

    R N P Souto

  2. Coordenação de Zoologia, Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Belém, PA, Brasil

    A Y Harada

  3. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Química, Univ Federal do Pará, Rua Augusto Corrêa n° 1, 66075-900, Belém, PA, Brasil

    E H A Andrade & J G S Maia

Authors
  1. R N P Souto
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  2. A Y Harada
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  3. E H A Andrade
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  4. J G S Maia
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Correspondence to J G S Maia.

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Edited by André L Lourenção – IAC

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Souto, R.N.P., Harada, A.Y., Andrade, E.H.A. et al. Insecticidal Activity of Piper Essential Oils from the Amazon Against the Fire Ant Solenopsis saevissima (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Neotrop Entomol 41, 510–517 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-012-0080-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-012-0080-6

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