Abstract

IANNACONE, José  and  ALVARINO, Lorena. Toxicity of Schinus molle L. (Anacardiaceae) on four biological control agents of agriculture pest in Peru. Acta Zool. Mex [online]. 2010, vol.26, n.3, pp.603-615. ISSN 2448-8445.

Schinus molle L. (Anacardiaceae) "pepper tree" is an ethnobotanical important plant belonging to Andean zone and is used as a botanical insecticidal agent for agricultural pest control. The ecotoxicological effects of aqueous extracts of the pepper tree on the following four non-target organisms were evaluated: Ceraeochrysa cincta (Schneider) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) eggs and first-instar larvae, Chrysoperla asoralis (Bank) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) eggs and first-instar larvae, Telenomus remus Nixon (Scelionidae: Hymenoptera) adults, and Orius insidiosus Say (Anthocoridae: Hemiptera) adults. Five concentrations with increasing amounts of an aqueous extract from S. molle leaves (w/v) were employed: 1.5%, 2.5%, 5%, 10% and 20%. The parameters of acute toxicity employed were the lethal concentration (LC₅₀) and the effective concentration (EC₅₀). The following sequence in decresing order of ecotoxicity in terms of EC₅₀/LC₅₀ were found: C. cincta larval mortality (LC₅₀ at 48 h = 3.7 %) > not hatched C. cincta eggs (EC₅₀ = 5.1%) > O. insidiosus adults (LC₅₀ at 48 h = 14.2%) > C. asoralis larval mortality (LC₅₀ at 48 h = 32.2 %) > not hatched C. asoralis eggs (EC₅₀ = 34.3%) > T. remus adults (LC₅₀ a 48 h = 40.9%). Potential ecological risks of employing this botanical insecticide in Peruvian agroecosystems are discussed. A list of all eukaryotic species with toxicity and repellence of the pepper tree evaluated is included.

Keywords : Ceraeochrysa; Chrysoperla; Orius; Schinus; Telenomus.

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