Toxicity of Essential Oils of Leaves of Plants from the Genus Piper with Influence on the Nutritional Parameters of Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Abstract

The caterpillar Spodoptera frugiperda is a pest of great economic importance for cultivated maize (Zea mays) found in countries with higher yields and exports of this crop. Synthetic insecticides widely used in the control of this insect pest has been promoting its resistance and environmental contamination. Thus the essential oils become promising in the use for the management of this pest. Essential oils from fresh leaves of Piper corcovadensis, Piper marginatum and Piper arboreum were obtained by hydrodistillation in a Clevenger type apparatus and 38, 36 and 49 compounds were respectively identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). In the topical contact tests against Spodoptera frugiperda, LD50 levels ranging from 3.58 to 10.91 mg/g were found, showing that the essential oils of P. corcovadensis and P. marginatum obtained the lowest LD50. In addition to toxicity, the oils of these species of Piper have been shown to be relevant in the quantitative influence of essential proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and glycogen present in this pest. This research constitutes the first report of toxic activity associated with nutritional parameters to the essential oils of leaves of P. corcovadensis, P. marginatum and P. arboreum.

Key words:

• Armyworm
• Zea mays
• natural products
• GC/MS
• physiology
• nutrition