Insecticidal and oviposition deterrent effects of essential oils of Baccharis spp. and histological assessment against Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

The diverse flora of the Atlantic Forest is fertile ground for discovering new chemical structures with insecticidal activity. The presence of species belonging to the genus Baccharis is of particular interest, as these species have shown promise in pest management applications. The objective of this study is to chemically identify the constituents expressed in the leaves of seven species of Baccharis ( B. anomala DC., B. calvescens DC., B. mesoneura DC., B. milleflora DC., B. oblongifolia Pers., B. trimera (Less) DC. and B. uncinella DC.) and to evaluate the toxicological and morphological effects caused by essential oils (EOs) on the larvae and adults of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae). Chemical analysis using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) indicated that limonene was the main common constituent in all Baccharis species. This constituent in isolation, as well as the EOs of B. calvescens , B. mesoneura , and B. oblongifolia , caused mortality in over 80% of adults of D. suzukii at a discriminatory concentration of 80 mg L −1 in bioassays of ingestion and topical application. These results are similar to the effect of spinosyn-based synthetic insecticides (spinetoram 75 mg L −1 ) 120 h after exposure. Limonene and EOs from all species had the lowest LC 50 and LC 90 values relative to spinosyn and azadirachtin (12 g L −1 ) in both bioassays. However, they showed the same time toxicity over time as spinetoram when applied to adults of D. suzukii (LT 50 ranging from 4.6 to 8.7 h) in a topical application bioassay. In olfactometry tests, 92% of D. suzukii females showed repellent behavior when exposed to the EOs and limonene. Likewise, the EOs of B. calvescens , B. mesoneura , and B. oblongifolia significantly reduced the number of eggs in artificial fruits (≅ 7.6 eggs fruit −1 ), differing from the control treatment with water (17.2 eggs fruit −1 ) and acetone (17.6 eggs fruit −1 ). According to histological analyses, the L3 larvae of D. suzukii had morphological and physiological alterations and deformations after exposure to treatments containing EOs and limonene, which resulted in high larval, pupal, and adult mortality. In view of the results, Baccharis EOs and their isolated constituent, limonene, proved to be promising alternatives for developing bioinsecticides to manage of D. suzukii .