The pinewood nematode (PWN) Bursaphelenchus xylophilus is a major threat to pine forests.
Research on sustainable pest management strategies is now a priority. Essential oils (EOs) are
biodegradable, complex mixtures of volatiles that can show low toxicity to mammals and powerful
nematicidal activities depending on their chemical composition. In the present work, the EOs of four
plants were screened against the PWN, solely and in combination to identify possible synergistic
interactions. The combination of Cymbopogon citratus and Mentha piperita EOs (1:1) resulted in
higher activities than those of each tested solely, suggesting the occurrence of synergistic interactions
between the compounds of these EOs. Research on the combination of synergistic EOs may lead to
the development of plant based biopesticides with optimized activities against the PWN
