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Larvicidal, molluscicidal and nematicidal activities of essential oils and compounds from Foeniculum vulgare

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Abstract

Plant-based products, namely essential oils (EOs), are environmentally friendly alternatives for the control of disease vectors, hosts and/or parasites. Here, we studied the general toxicity and biopesticidal potential of EOs and phenylpropanoids from Foeniculum vulgare var. vulgare (bitter fennel), a perennial plant well adapted to temperate climates. EO/compound toxicity was tested against a freshwater snail and potential intermediate host of Fasciola hepatica (Radix peregra), a mosquito and former European malaria vector (Anopheles atroparvus) and one of the most damaging plant-parasitic nematodes, the root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne javanica). Lethal concentrations (LC50; LC90) of EOs (infrutescences/stems with leaves) and compounds were calculated by probit analysis. All displayed noteworthy activity against R. peregra adults (LC50 21–39 µg ml−1) and A. atroparvus larvae (LC50 16–56 µg ml−1). trans-Anethole revealed acute nematicidal activity after 24 and 48 h (LC50 310 and 249 µg ml−1, respectively), and estragole (1,000 µg ml−1) showed some effectiveness against M. javanica hatching and juveniles after 15 days. Plant and EO yields were determined to evaluate the bitter fennel productivity. The chemical composition of the EOs was analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. EOs extracted from whole plants, infrutescences and stems with leaves were characterized by estragole-dominant profiles (28–65 %), considerable amounts of phellandrene (10–34 %) and fenchone (6–16 %), and minor trans-anethole contents (1–4 %). Although additional toxicological studies against nontarget organisms are required, our study demonstrates that bitter fennel is a productive source of molluscicides and larvicides, and thus a potential sustainable biological agent to control particular host species, namely freshwater snails and mosquitoes.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank José Ferreira and Diara Rocha from the IHMT for the mosquito colony maintenance and larvae production and collaborators from the Nematology Laboratory of the University of Coimbra for kindly providing the nematode isolate. The authors are grateful to Susana Chaves for improving the use of English in the manuscript. This research was supported by FEDER through POFC–COMPETE and by Portuguese funds through the projects (PIDDAC)-PEst-OE/BIA/UI4050/2014 and PEst-OE/AGR/UI4033/2014. R.M. Sousa was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through a PhD grant (SFRH/BD/66041/2009).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, CITAB, Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences-AgroBioplant, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal

    Rose Marie O. F. Sousa, Ana C. Cunha & Manuel Fernandes-Ferreira

  2. InBIO Laboratório Associado, Pólo dos Açores–Departamento de Biologia, CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade dos Açores, Rua da Mãe de Deus, 9501-801, Ponta Delgada, Portugal

    José S. Rosa

  3. Department of Biology, CBMA, Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal

    Cláudia A. Silva & Maria Teresa M. Almeida

  4. Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Unidade de Ensino e Investigação de Parasitologia Médica, Unidade de Parasitologia e Microbiologia Médicas, Rua da Junqueira no. 100, 1349-008, Lisbon, Portugal

    M. Teresa Novo

  5. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal

    Manuel Fernandes-Ferreira

  6. MAPPROD Lda, Rua António de Mariz, 22, 4715-279, Braga, Portugal

    Manuel Fernandes-Ferreira

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  1. Rose Marie O. F. Sousa
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  2. José S. Rosa
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  3. Cláudia A. Silva
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Correspondence to Manuel Fernandes-Ferreira.

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Communicated by J. Gross.

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Sousa, R.M.O.F., Rosa, J.S., Silva, C.A. et al. Larvicidal, molluscicidal and nematicidal activities of essential oils and compounds from Foeniculum vulgare . J Pest Sci 88, 413–426 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-014-0628-9

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