Oviposition inhibitory activity of the Mexican sunflower Tithonia diversifolia (Asteraceae) polar extracts against the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae (Tetranychidae)

The Mexican sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia, Asteraceae) is an invasive shrub of agricultural and non-agricultural lands in tropical countries. Besides extensive utilizations in the traditional medicine, mainly to treat malaria, the plant is believed to have a great potential in agriculture of developing countries as a green biomass to produce fertilizer, fodder and biopesticides. The plant is known to produce tagitinins, which are sesquiterpene lactones with a bitter taste endowed with toxicity against several insects such as mosquitoes, aphids, and beetles. Here, we evaluated the potential of T. diversifolia against the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae (Tetranychidae), which is one of the most economically important arthropod pests worldwide. The leaf methanolic extract and its ethyl acetate fraction were tested for acute and chronic toxicity and for oviposition inhibitory effects. The chemical composition of the extracts was analyzed by HPLC-MSn and NMR. The main constituents were flavonoid derivatives, phenylpropanoids and sesquiterpene lactones. Among the latter, tagitinin C and tagitinin A were the major compounds. In acute toxicity assays, mortality did not exceed 50% even for the highest tested dose of 150 \u3bcg cm-3. However, in chronic toxicity assays, on day 5 from application, the methanolic extract LD50 was 41.3 \u3bcg cm-3 while LD90 was 98.7 \u3bcg cm-3. Furthermore, both T. diversifolia extracts inhibited oviposition in T. urticae. The ethyl acetate extract was the most active oviposition inhibitor, with an ED50 value of 44.3 \u3bcg cm-3 and an ED90 of 121.5 \u3bcg cm-3. Overall, the good yield rate of the extract and the high crop yield highlighted good prospects of using the extract from this plant for the development of oviposition inhibitors against mite

Acaricidal activity of bufadienolides Isolated from Drimia pancration against Tetranychus urticae, and structural elucidation of arenobufagin-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside

Chemical characterization of the bulbs of Drimia pancration was conducted to isolate four steroidal saponins (1–4). Earlier, we focused on the structural elucidation of compounds 1–3. Herein, by means of 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, Nuclear Overhauser Effects (NOE), and 2D-NMR spectra, the full stereochemical structure of 4 is reported, and all the 1H and 13C signals are assigned. Com- pounds 1–4 were tested for their acaricidal properties against the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae. Our results showed excellent activity of compound 1, with an LD50 (μg/cm2) of 0.29 and a LD90 (μg/cm2) of 0.96, whereas compounds 2, 3, and 4 showed moderate activity. Fur- thermore, the acaricidal and cytotoxic properties of the crude extract were also investigated. Of note, after 96 h of exposure, the acaricidal activity of compound 1 was higher than that of the positive control, hexythiazox. Indeed, for compound 1, LD50 and LD90 were 0.29 and 0.96 μg/cm2, respec- tively, while hexythiazox LD50(90) was 18.7 (132.5) μg/cm2. Additionally, D. pancration extract, after 72 h, induced a high cytotoxic effect in HaCaT and THP-1 cell lines, with an IC50 of 7.37 ± 0.5 μg/mL and 3.50 ± 0.15 μg/mL, respectively. Overall, D. pancration can be considered as a green source of novel acaricides effective against mites of agricultural importance, such as T. urticae, pending proper field validation and the assessment of non-target effects on other invertebrate species

Chemical composition and broad-spectrum insecticidal activity of the flower essential oil from an ancient sicilian food plant, ridolfia segetum

Several species of the family Apiaceae are aromatic herbs that produce essential oils usable on an industrial scale for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food purposes. In particular, some essential oils, such as green insecticides for example, may replace synthetic insecticides, keeping most of their efficacy and avoiding environmental pollution or human poisoning. In the present study, we explored the insecticidal potential of Ridolfia segetum (L.) Moris essential oil (EO) against three different pests: Culex quinquefasciatus Say, Musca domestica L., and Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval). For this purpose, the EO was obtained by hydrodistillation of flowers and its composition was achieved by gas chromatography/flame ionization detection (GC/FID) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). This EO was rich in α-phellandrene (49.3%), β-phellandrene (9.2%), terpinolene (20.7%), and piperitenone oxide (5.9%). Concerning the mosquitocidal efficacy, the EO showed noteworthy toxicity against C. quinquefasciatus 3rd instar larvae, with a LC50 = 27.1 µL L−1 and LC90 = 42.5 µL L−1. Regarding M. domestica, a different toxicity of the R. segetum EO was found on male and female flies, calculating LD50 values of 10.5 and 50.8 µg adult−1, respectively. The EO was also toxic to S. littoralis 3rd instar larvae, achieving LD50 and LD90 values of 37.9 and 99.6 µg larva−1, respectively. Overall, this flower EO, extracted from a traditional Sicilian food plant, merits further investigation for the development of green insecticide formulations to be used in real world conditions, pending a careful assessment of non-target toxicity on beneficial organisms

Tyttöjen Tila : kehittämishanke Loviisassa

Tytti Eriksson. Tyttöjen tila- kehittämishanke Loviisassa. Diakonia-ammattikorkeakoulu. Diak, Helsinki, syksy 2016. sivuja 52 liitteitä 5. Sosiaalialan koulutusohjelma, Diakonia ja kristillinen kasvatus, sosionomi, (YAMK) Opinnäytetyön tavoite oli selvittää loviisalaisten yläasteikäisten tyttöjen toiveita ja osallisuutta Loviisaan perustettavan Tyttöjen Tilan toimintaan. Lisäksi työn tarkoituksena oli suunnitella toimintaa ja hakea rahoitusta toiminnan pyörittämiseen ja avata tila Loviisassa. Opinnäytetyö on kehittämishanke, joka toteutettiin kaksiosaisena, kyselytutkimuksena sekä kehittävänä toimintana, joka päättyi tyttöjen tilan perustamiseen. Opinnäytetyön tutkimuksellinen osuus toteutettiin Loviisan kaupungin tilauksesta kyse-lytutkimuksena. Loviisa on kaksikielinen kunta, jossa suomenkielisten osuus väestöstä on 55 % ja ruotsinkielisten 42 %. Kysely tehtiin kaikille yläkouluikäisille loviisalaisty-töille ja se toteutettiin kaksikielisenä. Kyselyt tehtiin keväällä 2016 ja tila avattiin loka-kuussa 2016. Tutkimus oli määrällinen kyselytutkimus ja kehittämishanke. Lisäksi sa-maan aikaan opinnäytetyön tekijä suunnitteli tyttöryhmän kanssa tyttöjen omaa huonetta Loviisan keskustan Forumin nuorisotilaan. Tekijä haki myös rahoitusta toimintaan kol-mella erillisellä rahoitushakemuksella. Tyttötyö ja sukupuolisensitiivinen työ ovat olleet tärkeimpiä suuntaviivoja opinnäyte-työssä. Myös nuorten osallisuus ja nuorten oman äänen kuuluminen ovat vaikuttaneet opinnäytetyöhön ja ovat siinä esillä. Toimintaa halutaan jatkaa yhdessä tyttöjen kanssa ja kehittää sitä heidän toiveidensa mukaisesti. Opinnäytetyön valmistumisvaiheessa yhdestä rahoitushakemuksista on saatu rahaa toi-mintaan. Lisäksi International Soroptimistit Loviisa- naisjärjestö oli tukemassa toimintaa. Tulevaisuudessa kuntasektorilla tulee olemaan tarve hakea rahoitusta toimintaan erilaisista hankkeista ja projektirahoituksista, jotta voidaan turvata laadukkaan ja ennal-taehkäisevän nuorisotyön jatkuvuus kuntien taloudellisen tilanteen heikentyessä. Itse uskon, että työ tulee tulevaisuudessa olemaan enemmän projektiluonteista ja ostopalve-lut tulevat lisääntymään, joten rahoituskanavien ja erilaisten projektien tuntemus tulee jatkossa olemaan myös kuntatyöntekijöiden osaamisaluetta. Opinnäytetyö oli tarpeellinen työn kehittämisen kannalta ja antoi suuntaviivaa toiminnan jatkosta. Tilan avaamiseen lokakuussa osallistui 120 tyttöä. Asiasanat: nuorten osallisuus, sukupuolisensitiivinen työ, tyttötyö, Loviisan kaupunki  Eriksson, Tytti. Girls´ place – development project in Loviisa. Autum 2016.52p.,5 ap-pendices Language Finnish. Diaconia University of Applied Sciences. Degree pro-gramme in Social Services. Diaconia, Christian Education and Youth Work. Degree: Master of Social Services. The purpose of this thesis was to understand the gender-sensitive hopes and aspirations of teenage girls participating in to-be-established Girls Club activities. In addition, the aim was to advise the planning of those activities and to seek funding for opening and running a girls´ club in Loviisa, Finland. This thesis is a development project, which was carried out in two parts, as a survey and as a development activity, which led to the establishment of the girls´ club and its services. In accordance with the town of Loviisa´s research guidance, the research was conducted as a survey. Loviisa is a bilingual municipality consisting of population of 55% Finnish speakers and 42% Swedish speakers. The sample included high-school aged girls in Loviisa and the surveys were conducted bi-lingually. The research was qualitative. In addition, the author planned together with the interviewees the facilities in the town-centre Forum Youth Club. The author also sought funding with three independent appli-cations. The survey took place in the Spring 2016 and the facilities opened in October 2016. Working with the girls and addressing the gender-sensitive issues has been a significant driver for this thesis. The actual participation and the desire to hear the ‘true voice’ of the youth have had a significant impact on this work, as can be seen in the findings. The aspiration is to develop this work, and to do so according to the wishes of teenage girls in Loviisa. One of the original funding applications out of the three has been successful so far. In addition, the International Soroptimist Loviisa - a women’s institution – has been sup-porting this project. It is essential that the municipality- level sector continues to find and to secure funding from a variety of projects, to ensure the continuity of high quality and preemptive youth support work, especially under currently weakening municipality- level economy. The author firmly believes that future work will be more project-based and that the outsourcing of services will increase. Therefore the council and youth workers will need ongoing training about the appropriate funding sources and venues. This thesis is necessary for developing the provision of youth services and to provide pointers for the future services and activities. The first night opening, in October 2016, of the Girls´ Club in Loviisa attracted 120 girls. Keywords: youth participation, youth work, youth support, gender sensitivity, working with teenage girls, Loviisa

The Essential Oil from the Resurrection Plant Myrothamnus moschatus Is Effective against Arthropods of Agricultural and Medical Interest

This work aimed to evaluate the chemical composition, insecticidal and acaricidal potential of the essential oil (EO) obtained from the resurrection plant Myrothamnus moschatus (Baill.) Baill. (Myrothamnaceae) from Madagascar. The EO bioactivity was evaluated against selected arthropod pests and vectors of agricultural and public health relevance. The most abundant volatile compounds were trans-pinocarveol (37.7 ± 4.2%) and pinocarvone (20.8 ± 3.1%), similar to the EO of the chemotype collected from the same region. Lethal concentrations (LC50) or doses (LD50) from acute toxicity tests were estimated for Musca domestica (L.) adults at 22.7 µg adult−1, for Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval) larvae at 35.6 µg larva−1, for Culex quinquefasciatus (Say) at 43.6 µg mL−1, for adults of Metopolophium dirhodum (Walker) at 2.4 mL L−1, and for adults of Tetranychus urticae (Koch) at 1.2 mL L−1. The good insecticidal and acaricidal activities determined in this work may open a new perspective on the use of this plant as a source of botanical insecticide ingredients. The exploitation of this species could also be important for the African economy, helping local farmers cultivating this plant

Phytochemical composition and antifeedant activity of five Vincetoxicum taxa against Spodoptera littoralis and Leptinotarsa decemlineata

Five Vincetoxicum taxa (V. canescens subsp. canescens, V. canescens subsp. pedunculata, V. fuscatum subsp. fuscatum, V. fuscatum subsp. boissieri and V. parviflorum) were investigated for insect antifeedant activity against Spodoptera littoralis and Leptinotarsa decemlineata. At a dose of 500 ?g/cm2, 12 extracts were 100 % feeding deterrent, while 6 extracts showed 86.399.3 % antifeedant activity. The effective doses (ED50) of the total ethanol extract from V. canescens subsp. pedunculata and of the methanol: dichloromethane (1:1) extract from V. parviflorum were 12, and 18 µg/cm2, respectively, against S. littoralis, and that of the total ethanol extract from V. fuscatum subsp. fuscatum was 25 µg/cm2 against L. decemlineata. The dichloromethane extracts of V. parviflorum and V. canescens subsp. pedunculata inhibited the growth of S. littoralis with ED50 values of 0.08 and 0.09 mg/g, respectively, and their LD50 values for larval mortality were 1.07 and 1.03 mg/g, respectively. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of cardiotonic glycosides, sugars, flavonoids and alkaloids in all investigated taxa. In the dichloromethane and methanol:dichloromethane (1:1) extracts, phenanthroindolizidine alkaloids were detected by LC/MS/MS

Repellence of essential oils and selected compounds against ticks-A systematic review

Ticks act as vectors of a wide range of infectious agents, far encompassing any other group of bloodsucking arthropods worldwide. The prevention of tick-borne diseases is strictly linked to the successful management of tick vector populations. The employ of repellents can represent a worth solution to avoid tick bites. It is widely adopted to protect travellers and pets exposed to ticks during limited periods of the year. The use of natural products as active ingredients in eco-friendly repellent formulations is currently a prominent research area, due to the wide diversity and high effectiveness of a number of plant-borne compounds, with special reference to essential oils (EOs) extracted from medicinal and aromatic species. Here, we reviewed current knowledge available on EOs tested as repellents against tick species of veterinary importance. Furthermore, we analysed the effectiveness of pure compounds isolated from EOs as tick repellents and their potential implications for practical use in the öreal world". A quantitative analysis of literature available is this research field was provided, along with its impact (i.e., in terms of citations over time) on the scientific community of researchers in tick control science and natural product chemistry. In the final sections, future outlooks are highlighted. We discussed major challenges to stabilize the most effective EOs and pure molecules, explore the synergistic and antagonistic effects in blends of EOs and/or pure constituents, standardize currently adopted testing methods, and evaluate non-target risks of herbal repellents

Essential Oils as Ecofriendly Biopesticides? Challenges and Constraints

Recently, a growing number of plant essential oils (EOs) have been tested against a wide range of arthropod pests with promising results. EOs showed high effectiveness, multiple mechanisms of action, low toxicity on non-target vertebrates and potential for the use of byproducts as reducing and stabilizing agents for the synthesis of nanopesticides. However, the number of commercial biopesticides based on EOs remains low. We analyze the main strengths and weaknesses arising from the use of EO-based biopesticides. Key challenges for future research include: (i) development of efficient stabilization processes (e.g., microencapsulation); (ii) simplification of the complex and costly biopesticide authorization requirements; and (iii) optimization of plant growing conditions and extraction processes leading to EOs of homogeneous chemical composition

United Forces of Botanical Oils: Efficacy of Neem and Karanja Oil against Colorado Potato Beetle under Laboratory Conditions

Neem and karanja oil are the most promising botanical insecticides in crop protection nowadays. Given that information about the insecticidal abilities of these oils is lacking, the aim was to explore the effects of neem and karanja oil binary mixtures. The insecticidal activity of NeemAzal T/S (Trifolio-M GmbH, Lahnau, Germany) (neem oil), Rock Effect (Agro CS a.s., Česká Skalice, Czech Republic) (karanja oil), and their binary mixes (at 1:1, 1:2, and 2:1 volume ratios) against the larvae of the Colorado potato beetle (CPB; Leptinotarsa decemlineata) was studied. In our bioassays, a synergistic effect of the mixtures, which was dose-dependent, was observed for the first time against this pest. The most effective blend was the 1:1 ratio. Its efficacy was more or less the same as, or even greater than, the neem oil alone. The LC50 of neem oil two days after application was (0.075 g·L−1) and the LC50 of the mixture was (0.065 g·L−1). The LC50 of karanja oil was (0.582 g·L−1), which was much higher than the LC50 of neem oil. The LC90 of neem oil five days after application was (0.105 g·L−1) and the LC90 of the mixture was (0.037 g·L−1). The LC90 of karanja oil was (1.032 g·L−1). The results demonstrate that it is possible to lower the doses of both oils and get improved efficacy against CPB larvae; nevertheless, further verification of the results in field conditions is necessary