BIOINSECTICIDAL ACTIVITY OF PLANT ESSENTIAL OILS AGAINST ROSE SAWFLY Arge ochropus (HYMENOPTERA: ARGIDAE) Authors: Nahdia Perveen, Abu Bakar Muhammad Raza, Laila A. Al-Shuraym, Lamya Ahmed Alkeridis Journal: Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences (JAPS) ISSN: 1018-7081 (Print), 2309-8694 (Online) Volume: 36 Issue: 2 Pages: 473-480 Year: 2026 DOI: https://doi.org/10.36899/JAPS.2026.2.0039 URL: https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.36899/JAPS.2026.2.0039 Publisher: Pakistan Agricultural Scientists Forum Abstract:

The rose sawfly, Arge ochropus (Gmelin) (Hymenoptera: Argidae), is one of the most destructive insect pests attacking rose bushes. The increasing demand for eco-friendly control of insect pests has provoked a growing interest in biopesticides. In this study, the toxicity of three plant-based essential oils (PEOs); mint (Mentha piperita), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus camaldulensis), and lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) was tested against A. ochropus larvae using a leaf dip bioassay. The experiment was carried out using factorial with completely randomized design (CRD) in which concentration of each PEO was replicated six times. GC-MS analysis showed major compounds in plant essential oils: cubenol (8.4%) in M. piperita, 3,8-nonadien-2-one (23.6%) in C. citratus, and eucalyptol (42.3%) in E. camaldulensis. Results indicated a larval mortality rate of 70.4% after 48 hours of exposure to a 8.0% concentration of M. piperita oil. At 72 hours of exposure, the mortality rate was increased to 85.9%. E. camaldulensis at higher concentrations displayed a moderate efficacy, where 46.5% larval mortality was recorded at 48 hours and 70.9% mortality at 72 hours of application. The least effective PEO was E. camaldulensis, which showed only 50.2% larval mortality at 72 hours using higher concentrations. Probit analysis also confirmed the higher toxicity of M. piperita oil, with the lowest LC50 values at both 48 hours (1.96%) and 72 hours (1.08%) compared to other PEOs. Our findings highlight that mint oil holds a significant promise as a potent biopesticide that could be integrated into sustainable management strategies against A. ochropus.

Keywords: Arge ochropus; botanical insecticides; eco-friendly pest control; lethal concentrations; bio-efficacy