IMBIV   05474
INSTITUTO MULTIDISCIPLINARIO DE BIOLOGIA VEGETAL
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
Screening of native plants from central Argentina against the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex lundi (Guérin) and its symbiotic fungus
Autor/es:
DÍAZ NAPAL, GEORGINA; BUFFA, L.; NOLLI, L. C. ; DEFAGÓ, M. T.; VALLADARES, G.; CARPINELLA, M. C.; RUIZ, G. ; PALACIOS, S. M.
Revista:
Industrial Crops and Products
Editorial:
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
Referencias:
Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2015 vol. 76 p. 275 - 280
ISSN:
0926-6690
Resumen:
Leaf-cutting ants are major agricultural and forestry pests in the New World. Attempts to control them have most frequently involved the use of chemical insecticides, with mixed results. Among alternative methods, botanical pesticides may provide a sustainable and efficient control of leaf-cutting ants. In the present study, we screened the activity of plant extracts derived from 89 species native to Argentina,against the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex lundi (Guérin) and its mutualistic fungus, Leucoagaricus gongylophorus, through a pick-up assay and bioautography, respectively. The pick-up assay revealed moderate to strong anti-foraging activity for just over 13.5% of the assayed species, including complete ant foraging inhibition for Aristolochia argentina, Flourensia oolepis, Gaillardia megapotamica, Lantana grisebachii and Lithrea molleoides. Most plant extracts were well tolerated by fungi, with only 12.3% of the species tested showing some degree of fungus growth inhibition. Among these, A. argentina, F. oolepis and Pterocaulon alopecuroides were the strongest inhibitors, whereas Baccharis flabellata, Dalea elegans and Zanthoxylum coco revealed a more moderate activity. Only A. argentina and F. oolepis extracts showed strong antiforaging effects and affected fungus growth at the same time. Values of IC50 and MIC indicated that extracts inhibiting ant foraging at lower concentrations did not necessarily also inhibit fungus growth at lower doses. The active principle of A. argentina, on both ant foraging and fungal growth, was identified as argentilactone.