Antifeedant properties of natural products from Parthenium argentatum, P. argentatum×P. tomentosum (Asteraceae) and Castela emoryi (Simaroubeaceae) against Reticulitermes flavipes

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0926-6690(99)00003-5Get rights and content

Abstract

Natural products from the desert plants, Parthenium argentatum, P. argentatum×P. tomentosum (guayule resin) and Castela emoryi were evaluated as antifeedants and toxicants against the eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes. Two sesquiterpenes (partheniol and argentone) and a triterpene (incanilin) from guayule resin showed different levels of antifeedant and toxic activity, with argentone being the most active antifeedant with toxic effects. Among the quassinoids from C. emoryi, glaucarubolone glucoside showed moderate antifeedant and toxic effects. Overall, the eudesmane sesquiterpene argentone from the hybrid P. argentatum×P. tomentosum showed the strongest effects.

Introduction

The eastern subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes Kollar (Rhinotermitidae), broadly distributed in the holoarctic region, is one of the most economically important termite species in the US, with an annual control cost of US$1 billion (Su and Scheffrahn, 1990, Su, 1991). Conventional techniques for the control of subterranean termites are soil treatments with organophosphate and pyrethroid (e.g. Durshan) insecticides.

Environmental problems derived from the use of persistent pesticides have led to an increasing interest in the development of alternative pest control methods. Plants with pesticidal properties may be one such alternative. Antitermitic activity has been observed in many hardwood (Angiosperm) species and plant extracts (Carter et al., 1983, Logan et al., 1990), but the active compounds are rarely identified.

Uncultivated arid-land plants are potential sources of valuable natural products, and could replace existing conventional crops in the semi-arid regions. The desert shrub guayule, Parthenium argentatum Gray, and genetically derived hybrids with other Parthenium species such as P. tomentosum (Asteraceae) are a source of natural rubber and hypoallergenic medical latex products (Siler and Cornish, 1994, Schloman et al., 1997). Apart from rubber, guayule has a substantial quantity of resin with pesticidal properties against termites, lepidopterous insects and fungi (Isman and Rodriguez, 1984, Bultman et al., 1991, Maatooq et al., 1995). Several natural products have been isolated from guayule resin, with sesquiterpenes, sesquiterpene esters, diterpene ketoalcohols, phytosterols, and triterpenes as the major components (Dorado, 1962, Buchanan et al., 1978, Rodriguez et al., 1981, Schloman et al., 1983, Romo de Vivar et al., 1990, Maatooq et al., 1995). Additionally, a quassinoid from another arid-land plant, Castela emoryi (Simaroubeaceae) showed preventive and curative properties against grape downy mildew infestation (Hoffmann et al., 1992).

The agrichemical potential of natural products isolated from P. argentatum, P. argentatum×P. tomentosum and C. emoryi is currently being evaluated. In this work, the antifeedant and toxic effects of several natural products isolated from these plant species against the termite R. flavipes in choice and no-choice assays are being tested.

Section snippets

Test compounds

The compounds partheniol (A), guayulin B (B), argentatin B (C), and incanilin (D) have been isolated from P. argentatum (Schloman et al., 1983, Romo de Vivar et al., 1990), argentone (E) from P. argentatum×P. tomentosum (Maatooq et al., 1995) and quassinoid glaucarubolone glucoside (F) and holocanthone (G) from C. emoryi (Hoffmann et al., 1992). Structures for these compounds are presented in Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3.

Termites

R. flavipes workers were obtained from Carolina Biological Supply, 2700 York

Results

The antifeedant effects of the different natural products tested against R. flavipes in choice tests are presented in Table 1. A maximum concentration of 1000 ppm (2.7 μg/disk) was chosen for the choice tests to identify strongly active compounds. After 3 days, termites consumed a mean±S.E. of 1.84±0.08 mg (68%) of the control disk (initial weight=2.7 mg). Azadirachtin (AZA), a potent insect antifeedant (Kubo and Klocke, 1982) with species-dependent termite antifeedant effects and no acute

Discussion

P. argentatum resin has been previously described as antitermitic (Bultman and Bailey, 1988), but this is the first report on guayule natural products with antifeedant effects against termites higher than those of the limonoids azadirachtin and obacunone. The sesquiterpenes partheniol (A) and guayulin B (B) showed differential activity against R. flavipes. Both compounds with moderate to weak antifeedant activity have an epoxy group, but the ester of guayulin B (B), with a p-anisoyl group, was

Acknowledgements

This work has been partially funded by a CAM-Spain fellowship to Carmen Gutiérrez and by USDA grant # 93-COOP-1-9552.

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