Conservation alternative for the management of Anthonomus grandis: the use of essential oil from Mentha x piperita L.

• Grant number: 25/14109-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2025
• End date: September 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Organic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Andreia Pereira Matos
• Grantee: Geancarlo Caviquioli Martins
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências da Natureza (CCN). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). Campus de Lagoa do Sino. Buri , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Regenerative agriculture has emerged in the current modern agricultural landscape for promoting the regeneration of the system as a whole. The use of conservation practices in this system has proven effective in managing pests and diseases, thus, the search for alternative methods that consolidate sustainability and efficiency in agricultural production has gained market share. Essential oils are proving a promising alternative within conservation practices due to their low persistence in the environment, allowing pest control without contamination. In this scenario, the search for conservation alternatives for managing agricultural pests responsible for much of the spraying of organosynthetic pesticides on crops, such as the boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis, Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is on the rise. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine the toxicity of Mentha x piperita (L.) essential oil on A. grandis adults. To this end, unsexed A. grandis adults will be exposed topically to different concentrations of the essential oil (treatments), and their mortality will be recorded within 48 h. Furthermore, insect survival will be assessed individually for each treatment tested, at approximate intervals of 2, 6, 12, 18, 24, and 48 h (50 insects/treatment). Based on the data obtained, the dose-mortality curve and survival curve of A. grandis will be estimated as a function of topical exposure to M. piperita (L.) essential oil.