Insecticidal activity of essential oils from Asteraceae species against Lepidopteras: a review

Abstract

Botanical insecticides, in the form of plant extracts or essential oils, are an excellent alternative for pest management, with the advantage of being generally less toxic to mammals than are traditional synthetic ones. Considering the insecticidal potential presented by the Asteraceae species, this work aimed to present data on the insecticidal effect against Lepidopteras caused by essential oils from Asteraceae plants. Searches were carried out in the Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed databases for works published up to April 2023. As a result, 15 Asteraceae species were described regarding the insecticidal potential of their essential oils against lepidopteran pests, as well as the toxicity of the most effective essential oils and their chemical composition.