Essential Oils As Deadly Insecticides

WASHINGTON - Dec 20/04 - SNS -- USDA researchers and scientists at Anadolu University in Eskisehir, Turkey, have found that oils from many Turkish medicinal herbs are deadlier to the aphid pests than those currently used in biological pesticides.

Studies at two ARS laboratories in Mississippi--the Natural Products Utilization Laboratory in Oxford and the Small Fruit Research Station in Poplarville--found that essential oils from 17 plant species are more toxic to turnip aphids (Lipaphis pseudobrassicae) than oils of peppermint (Mentha piperita) and rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), which are used in the United States as organic pesticides and in broad-spectrum insecticides.

The researchers evaluated essential oils from 25 plant species for toxicity to turnip aphids, which attack collards, mustard, broccoli, cabbage, radish, tomato and zucchini, among other vegetable crops throughout the southeastern United States.

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