From Biodiversity to Bioactivity: A Decade of Prospecting for Plants with Insecticidal Potential
Silvana Aparecida de Souza
Entomology and Biodiversity Conservation, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Brazil.
Isabella Maria Pompeu Monteiro Padial
Entomology and Biodiversity Conservation, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Brazil.
Juliana Rosa Carrijo Mauad
Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Brazil.
Anelise Samara Nazari Formagio
Postgraduate Program in Biodiversity and Environment, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Brazil.
Rosilda Mara Mussury
*
Entomology and Biodiversity Conservation, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Brazil and Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Brazil and Postgraduate Program in Biodiversity and Environment, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Brazil.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Plant extracts are a promising source of bioactive substances with potential for developing alternative strategies for managing insect pests. This chapter presents a ten-year trajectory of bioactive plant prospecting carried out within a research programme associated with the Federal University of Grande Dourados, using Plutella xylostella as the main biological model for evaluating extract activity. Twenty-five publications from 2016 to 2026 were reviewed, including 22 experimental studies on the pest, one study on selectivity to a parasitoid, one pollination study and one review on botanical insecticides and bees. Across this period, 33 plant taxa belonging to 13 families were investigated, considering different plant organs, extraction methods, solvents and concentrations. The studies showed that the bioactivity of the extracts can be expressed through different responses, including mortality and changes in development, reproduction, feeding and oviposition. Chemical characterisation revealed different classes of metabolites and, in some studies, individual compounds, although it is still not possible to attribute the observed activity to specific constituents. Taken together, the results show plant diversity to be a relevant source for prospecting substances with insecticidal potential and, at the same time, point to the steps needed to turn the identified bioactivity into technologies applicable to pest management, especially extract standardisation, agronomic validation and assessment of selectivity to non-target organisms.
Keywords: Plutella xylostella, botanical extracts, insecticidal bioactivity, plant biodiversity, diamondback moth, sublethal effects, feeding deterrence, oviposition responses, non-target organisms, extract standardisation, agronomic validation