Plants, Vol. 12, Pages 813: The Type of Grain Counts: Effectiveness of Three Essential Oil-Based Nanoemulsions against Sitophilus oryzae

Plants, Vol. 12, Pages 813: The Type of Grain Counts: Effectiveness of Three Essential Oil-Based Nanoemulsions against Sitophilus oryzae

Plants doi: 10.3390/plants12040813

Authors: Nickolas G. Kavallieratos Giulia Bonacucina Erifili P. Nika Anna Skourti Stavroula Kyriaki C. Georgakopoulou Constantin S. Filintas Anna Maria E. Panariti Filippo Maggi Riccardo Petrelli Marta Ferrati Eleonora Spinozzi Diego Romano Perinelli Angelo Canale Giovanni Benelli

Essential oil (EO)-based nanoemulsions (NEs) are promising grain protectants in the management of stored-product pests. However, the potential impact of the stored-grain species on the green insecticide effectiveness has been poorly studied. In this study, two concentrations of EO-based NEs from Carlina acaulis L., Mentha longifolia (L.) Huds., and Hazomalania voyronii (Jum.) Capuron were evaluated as insecticides against the major stored-product pest Sitophilus oryzae (L.) on barley, oats, and maize kernels. The C. acaulis EO-based NE applied at 1000 ppm on barley achieved the highest mortality, killing 94.4% of S. oryzae adults after a 7-day exposure, followed by 1000 ppm of H. voyronii EO-based NE (83.3%). The lowest mortality (1.1%) was recorded with 500 ppm of M. longifolia EO-based NE on maize after the same interval. All tested NEs exhibited elevated efficacy when applied on barley, while mortalities were lower on oats and maize. Furthermore, C. acaulis EO-based NE was the most effective when applied on all commodities, followed by H. voyronii and M. longifolia EO-based NEs. Overall, our results highlighted the significant impact of the stored cereal on the insecticidal effectiveness of EO-based NE used for stored-product pest control. Sitophilus oryzae adults on barley can be adequately controlled through the application of C. acaulis and H. voyronii EO-based NEs.