Tridax coronopifolia var. alboradiata (Asteraceae) Essential Oil: Chemical Characterization and Repellent Potential Against Sitophilus zeamais (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Sosa, Lilibeth  Gómez; Pérez-Pacheco, Rafael; Hortencio Zárate-Nicolás, Baldomero; Ortiz-Hernández, Yolanda  Donají; Vásquez-López, Alfonso; Aquino-Bolaños, Teodulfo; Quiroz- González, Beatriz; Martinez-Tomas, Sabino  H.; Arroyo-Balán, Fabián; Fonseca-Muñoz, Alicia; Granados-Echegoyen, Carlos

doi:10.3389/fagro.2025.1648839

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Agron.

Sec. Pest Management

Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fagro.2025.1648839

Tridax coronopifolia var. alboradiata (Asteraceae) Essential Oil: Chemical Characterization and Repellent Potential Against Sitophilus zeamais (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Provisionally accepted

Lilibeth Gómez Sosa¹

Rafael Pérez-Pacheco¹

Baldomero Hortencio Zárate-Nicolás^1*

Yolanda Donají Ortiz-Hernández¹

Alfonso Vásquez-López¹

Teodulfo Aquino-Bolaños¹

Beatriz Quiroz- González¹

Sabino H. Martinez-Tomas¹

Fabián Arroyo-Balán²

Alicia Fonseca-Muñoz³

Carlos Granados-Echegoyen^4*

¹Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional (CIIDIR) Unidad Oaxaca, Santa Cruz Xoxocotlan, Oaxaca, México, Oaxaca, Mexico
²SECIHTI - Universidad Autónoma de Campeche, CEDESU, San Francisco de Campeche, Campeche, Mexico, Campeche, Mexico
³Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca, Facultad de Sistemas Biológicos e Innovación Tecnológica, Oaxaca, México, Oaxaca, Mexico
⁴SECIHTI - Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional (CIIDIR) Unidad Oaxaca, Santa Cruz Xoxocotlan Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca, Mexico

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

This study aimed to evaluate the repellent effect of essential oil derived from Tridax coronopifolia var. alboradiata against Sitophilus zeamais. We obtained the essential oil through microwave-assisted hydrodistillation and characterized it using gas chromatography. We conducted repellency bioassays at concentrations of 50,100,200,400,600 and 800 ppm, alongside positive and negative controls. The results showed the essential oil exhibited significant repellent activity against S. zeamais. At 800 ppm, we recorded a selection index of 0.27, indicating high repellent efficiency and that the insects preferred the untreated maize grains. An analysis of the chemical composition of the essential oil revealed sixteen terpenes, which accounted for 98.43% of the total volatile content. The predominant constituents were 2-carene (24.1%), camphene (12.6%), α-pinene (10.23%), and hexadecanal (9.11%). These findings confirm the efficacy of T. coronopifolia var. alboradiata essential oil in repelling S. zeamais and highlight its potential as a botanical insecticide. Furthermore, the chemical profiling of the oil offers valuable insights to support its use as a sustainable alternative for managing stored grain pests.

Keywords: Tridax coronopifolia var. alboradiata, essential oils, Repellency, Maize weevils, IPM (Integrated Pest Management)

Received: 17 Jun 2025; Accepted: 20 Aug 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Sosa, Pérez-Pacheco, Hortencio Zárate-Nicolás, Ortiz-Hernández, Vásquez-López, Aquino-Bolaños, Quiroz- González, Martinez-Tomas, Arroyo-Balán, Fonseca-Muñoz and Granados-Echegoyen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Baldomero Hortencio Zárate-Nicolás, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional (CIIDIR) Unidad Oaxaca, Santa Cruz Xoxocotlan, Oaxaca, México, Oaxaca, Mexico
Carlos Granados-Echegoyen, SECIHTI - Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional (CIIDIR) Unidad Oaxaca, Santa Cruz Xoxocotlan Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca, Mexico

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