Journal of Pest Science (2014) 87, 191-200

Pathipati Usha Rani, Joish Madhusudhanamurthy and Bojja Sreedhar (2014)
Dynamic adsorption of alpha-pinene and linalool on silica nanoparticles for enhanced antifeedant activity against agricultural pests
Journal of Pest Science 87 (1), 191-200
Abstract: The terpene compounds, alpha-pinene and linalool were formulated with silica nanoparticles (SNPs) by a simple immersion method and the antifeedant activity of these formulations was evaluated against two major agricultural pests, the tobacco cutworm (Spodoptera litura F.) and the castor semilooper (Achaea janata L.) in laboratory bioassays. The interaction between terpenes and SNPs, shelf-life, suspension stability as well as the bioactivity of the nanoformulations were also studied. Both these terpenes in their pure form are known to deter feeding in several lepidopterous insects. However, formulating these pure terpene compounds with nano silica enhanced their biological activity up to 25 times to S. litura. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis of these nano botanical formulations indicated the presence of hydrogen bonding between terpenes and the surface of SNPs. Transmission electron microscopy images confirmed the higher aggregation property of the SNPs. Suspension studies validated the improved shelf-life of the nano-biocomposites, while X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed the amorphous nature of formulations and no crystalline impurities. Adsorption of alpha-pinene and linalool onto SNPs resulted in an effective formulation that enhanced the antifeedant potential of the individual terpenes against insects while producing longer shelf-life for the terpenes.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Pathipati Usha Rani

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
control - general

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Spodoptera litura		India
	Achaea janata		India