Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Crop Bioprotection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #419328

Research Project: Environmentally-Friendly, Microbial and Plant-Based Agents for Mosquito Control

Location: Crop Bioprotection Research

Title: Acaricidal activity of Brassicaceae seed meals on Ixodid ticks: A potential plant-based control agent

Author
item Weiler, Lina
item Hay, William
item Kemp, Nathan
item BEHLE, ROBERT - Retired ARS Employee
item VAUGHN, STEVEN - Retired ARS Employee
item Muturi, Ephantus - Juma

Submitted to: Experimental and Applied Acarology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/29/2024
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: For decades, chemical acaricides were heavily used to control tick populations, protect humans and animals from tick bites, and to reduce the incidence of tick-borne diseases. However, the negative impact of chemical acaricides on treated environments and development of tick resistance due to indiscriminate use of these chemicals has prompted the search for novel ecofriendly alternatives for tick control. Defatted seeds meals of plants in the mustard family which are generated as byproducts of vegetable oils, spices, and biofuel production are known to contain pesticidal properties, but their toxicity against ticks remain poorly understood. This research evaluated the bio-fumigation activity of defatted seed meals of three plant species in the mustard family against three tick species of medical and veterinary significance. Defatted seed meals of the three plant species had strong bio-fumigation against the three tick species demonstrating their potential to be developed as ecofriendly biopesticides for tick control. Creating tick control products from mustard seed meals will add value to these seed crops by providing cheap and ecofriendly biopesticides for controlling ticks of medical and veterinary significance.

Technical Abstract: Ticks are a medically important group of arthropods, and their control has become a major challenge due to their widespread resistance to synthetic acaricides. Defatted seed meals of plants in the mustard family, commonly generated as byproducts of vegetable oil and biofuel production are known to possess pesticidal properties but their potential to control ticks remain poorly understood. We evaluated the bio-fumigation activity of defatted seed meals of three mustard family species, Brassica juncea (L) Czern. (PG), Lepidium sativum L. (Ls) and Thlaspi arvense L. (DFP), against three medically important hard tick species: Ambylomma americanum (L.) [Aa], Dermacentor variabilis (Say) [Dv] and Ixodes scapularis (Say) [Is]. Volatiles produced by defatted seed meals of the three plant species had strong bio-fumigation activity against ticks, but their effects varied among the three tick species. Toxicity of DFP seed meals was significantly different among the three tick species (no overlap of the 95% CI) with LD50 values of 0.056 g for Aa nymphs, 0.031 g for Dv nymphs, and 0.037 g for Is nymphs. Defatted Ls seed meals were more toxic to Dv (LD50 = 0.022) and Is (LD50 = 0.018) nymphs compared to Aa nymphs (LD50 = 0.035) while defatted PG seed meals were more toxic to Is nymphs (LD50 = 0.009 g) compared to Aa (LD50 = 0.048 g) and Dv (LD50 = 0.032 g) nymphs. This is the first report to document that defatted Brassicaceae seed meals are a promising plant-based biofumigant for tick control that can be developed as a cheap, practical, and ecofriendly acaricide.