A Review of Bioinsecticidal Activity of Solanaceae Alkaloids

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Abstract

Only a small percentage of insect species are pests. However, pest species cause significant losses in agricultural and forest crops, and many are vectors of diseases. Currently, many scientists are focused on developing new tools to control insect populations, including secondary plant metabolites, e.g., alkaloids, glycoalkaloids, terpenoids, organic acids and alcohols, which show promise for use in plant protection. These compounds can affect insects at all levels of biological organization, but their action generally disturbs cellular and physiological processes, e.g., by altering redox balance, hormonal regulation, neuronal signalization or reproduction in exposed individuals. Secondary plant metabolites cause toxic effects that can be observed at both lethal and sublethal levels, but the most important effect is repellence. Plants from the Solanaceae family, which contains numerous economically and ecologically important species, produce various substances that affect insects belonging to most orders, particularly herbivorous insects and other pests. Many compounds possess insecticidal properties, but they are also classified as molluscides, acaricides, nematocides, fungicides and bactericides. In this paper, we present data on the sublethal and lethal toxicity caused by pure metabolites and crude extracts obtained from Solanaceae plants. Pure substances as well as water and/or alcohol extracts cause lethal and sublethal effects in insects, which is important from the economical point of view. We discuss the results of our study and their relevance to plant protection and management.

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Pesticide Exposure, Safety Issues, and Risk Assessment Indicators

Christos A. Damalas, Ilias Eleftherohorinos (2011)

Pesticides are widely used in agricultural production to prevent or control pests, diseases, weeds, and other plant pathogens in an effort to reduce or eliminate yield losses and maintain high product quality. Although pesticides are developed through very strict regulation processes to function with reasonable certainty and minimal impact on human health and the environment, serious concerns have been raised about health risks resulting from occupational exposure and from residues in food and drinking water. Occupational exposure to pesticides often occurs in the case of agricultural workers in open fields and greenhouses, workers in the pesticide industry, and exterminators of house pests. Exposure of the general population to pesticides occurs primarily through eating food and drinking water contaminated with pesticide residues, whereas substantial exposure can also occur in or around the home. Regarding the adverse effects on the environment (water, soil and air contamination from leaching, runoff, and spray drift, as well as the detrimental effects on wildlife, fish, plants, and other non-target organisms), many of these effects depend on the toxicity of the pesticide, the measures taken during its application, the dosage applied, the adsorption on soil colloids, the weather conditions prevailing after application, and how long the pesticide persists in the environment. Therefore, the risk assessment of the impact of pesticides either on human health or on the environment is not an easy and particularly accurate process because of differences in the periods and levels of exposure, the types of pesticides used (regarding toxicity and persistence), and the environmental characteristics of the areas where pesticides are usually applied. Also, the number of the criteria used and the method of their implementation to assess the adverse effects of pesticides on human health could affect risk assessment and would possibly affect the characterization of the already approved pesticides and the approval of the new compounds in the near future. Thus, new tools or techniques with greater reliability than those already existing are needed to predict the potential hazards of pesticides and thus contribute to reduction of the adverse effects on human health and the environment. On the other hand, the implementation of alternative cropping systems that are less dependent on pesticides, the development of new pesticides with novel modes of action and improved safety profiles, and the improvement of the already used pesticide formulations towards safer formulations (e.g., microcapsule suspensions) could reduce the adverse effects of farming and particularly the toxic effects of pesticides. In addition, the use of appropriate and well-maintained spraying equipment along with taking all precautions that are required in all stages of pesticide handling could minimize human exposure to pesticides and their potential adverse effects on the environment.

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Estimating the economic cost of one of the world's major insect pests, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae): just how long is a piece of string?

Myron P. Zalucki, Asad Shabbir, Rehan Silva … (2012)

Since 1993, the annual worldwide cost of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), control has been routinely quoted to be US$1 billion. This estimate requires updating and incorporation of yield losses to reflect current total costs of the pest to the world economy. We present an analysis that estimates what the present costs are likely to be based on a set of necessary, but reasoned, assumptions. We use an existing climate driven model for diamondback moth distribution and abundance, the Food and Agriculture Organization country Brassica crop production data and various management scenarios to bracket the cost estimates. The "length of the string" is somewhere between US$1.3 billion and US$2.3 billion based on management costs. However, if residual pest damage is included then the cost estimates will be even higher; a conservative estimate of 5% diamondback moth-induced yield loss to all crops adds another US$2.7 billion to the total costs associated with the pest. A conservative estimate of total costs associated with diamondback moth management is thus US$4 billion-US$5 billion. The lower bound represents rational decision making by pest managers based on diamondback moth abundance driven by climate only. The upper estimate is due to the more normal practice of weekly insecticide application to vegetable crops and the assumption that canola (Brassica napus L.) is treated with insecticide at least once during the crop cycle. Readers can decide for themselves what the real cost is likely to be because we provide country data for further interpretation. Our analysis suggests that greater efforts at implementation of even basic integrated pest management would reduce insecticide inputs considerably, reducing negative environmental impacts and saving many hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

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Potato glycoalkaloids and metabolites: roles in the plant and in the diet.

Mendel Friedman (2006)

Potatoes, members of the Solanaceae plant family, serve as major, inexpensive low-fat food sources providing energy (starch), high-quality protein, fiber, and vitamins. Potatoes also produce biologically active secondary metabolites, which may have both adverse and beneficial effects in the diet. These include glycoalkaloids, calystegine alkaloids, protease inhibitors, lectins, phenolic compounds, and chlorophyll. Because glycoalkaloids are reported to be involved in host-plant resistance and to have a variety of adverse as well as beneficial effects in cells, animals, and humans, a need exists to develop a clearer understanding of their roles both in the plant and in the diet. To contribute to this effort, this integrated review presents data on the (a) history of glycoalkaloids; (b) glycoalkaloid content in different parts of the potato plant, in processed potato products, and in wild, transgenic, and organic potatoes; (c) biosynthesis, inheritance, plant molecular biology, and glycoalkaloid-plant phytopathogen relationships; (d) dietary significance with special focus on the chemistry, analysis, and nutritional quality of low-glycoalkaloid potato protein; (e) pharmacology and toxicology of the potato glycoalkaloids comprising alpha-chaconine and alpha-solanine and their hydrolysis products (metabolites); (f) anticarcinogenic and other beneficial effects; and (g) possible dietary consequences of concurrent consumption of glycoalkaloids and other biologically active compounds present in fresh and processed potatoes. An enhanced understanding of the multiple and overlapping aspects of glycoalkaloids in the plant and in the diet will benefit producers and consumers of potatoes.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Kevin Welch: Role: Academic Editor

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Toxins (Basel)

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Toxins (Basel)

Journal ID (publisher-id): toxins

Title: Toxins

Publisher: MDPI

ISSN (Electronic): 2072-6651

Publication date (Electronic): 01 March 2016

Publication date Collection: March 2016

Volume: 8

Issue: 3

Electronic Location Identifier: 60

Affiliations

[1 ]Department of Animal Physiology and Development, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89 Str., Poznań, 61-614, Poland; pmarcin@ 123456amu.edu.pl (P.M.); rosin@ 123456amu.edu.pl (G.R.)

[2 ]Electron and Confocal Microscope Laboratory, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89 Str., Poznań, 61-614, Poland

[3 ]Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Arts and Science, Bulent Ecevit University, Zonguldak, 67100, Turkey; endericen@ 123456hotmail.com

[4 ]Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Science, Bulent Ecevit University, Zonguldak, 67100, Turkey; buyukguzelk@ 123456hotmail.com

[5 ]Department of Science, University of Basilicata, Via dellAteneo Lucano 10, Potenza, 85100, Italy; patrizia.falabella@ 123456unibas.it (P.F.); emanuelaventrella@ 123456libero.it (E.V.); filomenalelario@ 123456hotmail.com (F.L.); sabino.bufo@ 123456unibas.it (S.A.B.)

[6 ]Department of European Culture, University of Basilicata, Via S. Rocco 1, Matera, 75100, Italy; laura.scrano@ 123456unibas.it

Author notes

[* ]Correspondence: szyymon@ 123456amu.edu.pl (S.C.); ed@ 123456amu.edu.pl (Z.A.); Tel.: +48-8295-925 (S.C.); +48-8295-646 (Z.A.)

Article

Publisher ID: toxins-08-00060

DOI: 10.3390/toxins8030060

PMC ID: 4810205

PubMed ID: 26938561

SO-VID: 58c86a6f-78ad-457f-8d7b-b405c05e2cbf

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This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons by Attribution (CC-BY) license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

A Review of Bioinsecticidal Activity of Solanaceae Alkaloids

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Abstract

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Network and Systems Medicine

Most cited references 166

Pesticide Exposure, Safety Issues, and Risk Assessment Indicators

Estimating the economic cost of one of the world's major insect pests, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae): just how long is a piece of string?

Potato glycoalkaloids and metabolites: roles in the plant and in the diet.

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