What is it about?
Tuta absoluta, tomato pinworm, is an important pest of Solanaceae plants worldwide. This pest has become a major threat to world tomato production. Amide analogues of piperine were synthesized and tested against this pest. Three of the amides presented high toxicity towards the pest, and amide 14 presented the fastest action. Bioassays were also conducted against T. absoluta predators. The most active amides against T. absoluta were harmless to S. saevissima (T. absoluta predator).
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Why is it important?
Biological control has been sought for the management of T. absoluta, but the use of insecticide remains the primary control measure used by tomato growers. Continuous application of insecticides contributes to the development of T. absoluta-resistant strains, which reduces the efficacy of several products registered to control this pest. Another problem related to the use of insecticides are the side-effects of some molecules on non-target organisms, such as predators, pollinators, and detritivore arthropods.
Perspectives
Studies related to the development of new insecticidal molecules are important, aiming at the discovery and synthesis of active compounds against pests and less harmful to the environment. Piperine is an amide found in fruits of Piperaceae plants with insecticidal activity against several pests, and has been used as a model for the synthesis of analogous products. Given the demand for the development of new insecticidal molecules for T. absoluta management, we have prepared 19 amides analogues to piperine, and three of them presented high toxicity against T. absoluta.
Professor Elson Santiago Alvarenga
Universidade Federal de Vicosa
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Toxicity of Piperine Amide Analogs toward the Tomato Pinworm Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) and Risk Assessment for Two Predators, Horticulturae, October 2019, MDPI AG,
DOI: 10.3390/horticulturae5040070.
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