Salvador Alejandro Ventura-Salcedo’s research while affiliated with Autonomous University of Queretaro and other places

Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) are two prominent pests of maize and its stored grains, respectively. Botanical pesticides have been proposed as an alternative for their management. This study evaluated the insecticidal activity of Salvia connivens (Lamiaceae) methanolic extract and rosmarinic acid against S. frugiperda and T. molitor by adding them to an artificial diet, as well as their ecotoxicological effects on Poecilia reticulata (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae) and Danio rerio (Cypriniformes: Danionidae) through acute toxicity tests. The methanolic extract showed higher mortality activity against S. frugiperda (LC50 = 874.28 ppm) than against T. molitor (LC50 = 1856.94 ppm) and was non-toxic to fish. Rosmarinic acid, the most abundant compound in the extract (80.45 mg g⁻¹), showed higher activity against S. frugiperda (LC50 = 176.81 ppm). This compound did not cause a toxic effect on adult P. reticulata at the tested concentrations. However, in P. reticulata fingerlings and D. rerio adults, it was non-toxic, except in D. rerio embryos, where it was slightly toxic. These findings suggest that S. connivens methanolic extract has potential as a botanical product for the management of S. frugiperda and T. molitor with low ecotoxicological impact, while rosmarinic acid may be a useful compound for the management of S. frugiperda.

Salvia connivens Methanolic Extract Against Spodoptera frugiperda and Tenebrio molitor and Its Effect on Poecilia reticulata and Danio rerio. Toxics 2025, 13, 94. https://doi. Abstract: Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) are two prominent pests of maize and its stored grains, respectively. Botanical pesticides have been proposed as an alternative for their management. This study evaluated the insecticidal activity of Salvia connivens (Lamiaceae) methanolic extract and rosmarinic acid against S. frugiperda and T. molitor by adding them to an artificial diet, as well as their ecotoxicological effects on Poecilia reticulata (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae) and Danio rerio (Cypriniformes: Danionidae) through acute toxicity tests. The methanolic extract showed higher mortality activity against S. frugiperda (LC 50 = 874.28 ppm) than against T. molitor (LC 50 = 1856.94 ppm) and was non-toxic to fish. Rosmarinic acid, the most abundant compound in the extract (80.45 mg g −1), showed higher activity against S. frugiperda (LC 50 = 176.81 ppm). This compound did not cause a toxic effect on adult P. reticulata at the tested concentrations. However, in P. reticulata fingerlings and D. rerio adults, it was non-toxic, except in D. rerio embryos, where it was slightly toxic. These findings suggest that S. connivens methanolic extract has potential as a botanical product for the management of S. frugiperda and T. molitor with low ecotoxicological impact, while rosmarinic acid may be a useful compound for the management of S. frugiperda.

RESUMEN. Los insecticidas botánicos mediante su correcta aplicación pueden resultar eficientes en el manejo de insectos plaga. Varios compuestos químicos que son sintetizados por las plantas se han aislado para su estudio ya sea como extractos o como sustancias puras ofreciendo a la vez un menor impacto ambiental que los plaguicidas sintéticos. Tal es el caso de los extractos de Senecio salignus, sin embargo, el hecho de ser sustancias de origen natural y activas frente a organismos plaga, no garantiza que sean inocuas para organismos no blanco, es por esto que se evaluó la actividad biológica del extracto hexánico de las partes aéreas de S. salignus sobre Spodoptera frugiperda uno de los principales insectos plaga y sobre Poecilia reticulata una especie de amplia distribución mundial y de fácil mantenimiento en laboratorio, debido al importante papel que juegan los peces en el ecosistema, para tal objetivo se realizaron ensayos de exposición aguda para cada uno de los organismos de los cuales se obtuvieron las siguientes CL50, para S. frugiperda = 4361 ppm, P. reticulata (alevín) = 35.41 ppm y por ultimo P. reticulata (adulto) = 71.63 ppm, con lo que se demuestra que este extracto es relativamente inocuo a un ambiente acuático.