Chemical variability of authenticated and commercial Artemisia absinthium L. essential oils with thujones on tephritid fruit flies: Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis (Wiedemann) and Caribbean fruit fly Anastrepha suspensa

Authors: Tabanca, Nurhayat; Cloonan, Kevin; YANG, XIANGBING - Former ARS Employee; BALDEMIR, AYSE - University Of Health Sciences; DEMIRCI, BETUL - Anadolu Universtiy

Submitted to: Frontiers in Plant Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/16/2025
Publication Date: 11/20/2025
Citation: Tabanca, N., Cloonan, K.R., Yang, X., Baldemir, A., Demirci, B. 2025. Chemical variability of authenticated and commercial Artemisia absinthium L. essential oils with thujones on tephritid fruit flies: Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis (Wiedemann) and Caribbean fruit fly Anastrepha suspensa. Frontiers in Plant Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2025.1674428.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2025.1674428

Interpretive Summary: Tephritid fruit flies are the most important pests of fruits and vegetables worldwide. Mediterranean fruit fly, or medfly, Ceratitis capitata, and Caribbean fruit fly, or caribfly, Anastrepha suspensa, are considered economically important insect pests in Florida. Increasing resistance to synthetic insecticides and the negative effects of chemical residues on the ecosystem, non-target organisms, and human health have led to an urgent need for eco-friendly pest management approaches in agriculture. Essential oils (EOs) and their rich source of bioactive compounds are considered to be one of the best resources for developing alternative insect control agents. Therefore, ARS scientists in Miami, Florida investigated Artemisia absinthium (wormwood) EOs as a potential source of attractants for male medfly, and toxicants for caribfly. In behavioral assays with male C. capitata, sample attractiveness in A. absinthium was linked to a higher a,ß-thujone concentration based on GC-MS data. Furthermore, adult topical bioassays showed that a,ß-thujone had stronger toxicity than a-thujone alone at median lethal dosage (LD50) against female A. suspensa. These findings are critical to developing attract-and-kill management practices for two economically important fruit fly pests.

Technical Abstract: Fruit flies, within the family Tephritidae, such as the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) and Caribbean fruit fly (Anastrepha suspensa) are recognized as major agricultural pests worldwide. Their larval stages infest a wide array of fruits and vegetables, causing significant economic losses through direct damage to crops and restrictions on international trade. Conventional pest management, heavily reliant on synthetic pesticides, has led to health concerns and the emergence of pesticide resistance. In response, semiochemicals, particularly essential oils and their constituents, are emerging as promising alternatives. Essential oils, hydrodistilled from Artemisia absinthium aerial parts from one wild (Asd) and five commercial sources (A1 to A5) in Turkiye, were analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS, and essential oils were tested in behavioral assays with sterile male C. capitata. Key components were evaluated for their potential attraction of male C. capitata, and the toxicities of these oils to female A. suspensa were determined. Cluster analysis revealed three major chemotype clades: ß-thujene and (Z)-ß-ocimene epoxide, ß-thujene and camphor, and only camphor-rich. In short-range attraction bioassays, Asd and A1 samples captured the most male C. capitata at 30 min. These findings were linked to a higher a+ß-thujone content in samples Asd (41.04%) and A1 (29.6%). A set of bioassays was conducted to compare the response of C. capitata to a-thujone, a,a,ß-thujone, and to tea tree oil, a strong medfly attractant. Medflies were similarly attracted to both a-thujone and a,ß-thujone from 30 to 90 minutes. In a subsequent bioassay, a-thujone and a,ß-thujone demonstrated strong toxicity to adult female A. suspensa, with the LD50 values being 0.21 and 0.14 µg/µL, respectively. These findings demonstrate that thujones have both attractant properties for male C. capitata and significant toxicity to A. suspensa, making them promising candidate compounds for integration into comprehensive integrated pest management strategies.