Open AccessInsecticidal activity of marigold Tagetes patula plants and foliar extracts against the hemipteran pests, Lygus hesperus and Bemisia tabaci
Author(s) -
Jeffrey A. Fabrick,
Andrea J. Yool,
D. W. Spurgeon
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0233511
Subject(s) - biology , miridae , tagetes patula , hemiptera , whitefly , pest analysis , tagetes , botany , lygus , biological pest control , integrated pest management , toxicology , agronomy
The western tarnished plant bug, Lygus hesperus Knight (Hemiptera: Miridae) and the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) are key hemipteran pests of numerous crop plants throughout the western United States and Mexico. Management in the U.S. currently relies on only a few insecticides and is threatened by the evolution of resistance. New chemistries or alternative management strategies are needed to reduce selection pressure on current insecticides and enhance control. Here, we investigated the bio-insecticidal toxicity of the French marigold, Tagetes patula Linnaeus (Asterales: Asteraceae), against both L . hesperus and B . tabaci . Assays indicated significantly reduced survival of both pest species on T . patula plants, and in diet incorporation assays containing aqueous and methanolic marigold foliar extracts. Mortality was concentration-dependent, indicating the presence of one or more extractable toxicants. These data suggest that T . patula plants have insecticidal constituents that might be identified and developed as novel alternatives to conventional chemical treatments.