Aphid Behavior on <i>Amaranthus hybridus</i> L. (Amaranthaceae) Associated with <i>Ocimum</i> spp. (Lamiaceae) as Repellent Plants
2020
Yarou, Boni Barthélémy | Bokonon-Ganta, Aimé H. | Verheggen, François J. | Lognay, Georges C. | Francis, Frédéric
Various plant species contain biocidal and/or semiochemical components. These can be used for managing insect pests, in order to reduce the use of synthetic pesticides and to improve the quality of vegetable crops. This study was conducted to assess the effect of repellent plants <i>Ocimum gratissimum</i> L. and <i>Ocimum basilicum</i> L. on aphids <i>Aphis craccivora</i> Koch, <i>Aphis fabae</i> Scopoli and <i>Myzus persicae</i> Sulzer when they are associated with <i>Amaranthus hybridus</i> L. plants. The results have shown that in the two approaches tested—<i>Ocimum</i> sp. plants surrounded by <i>A. hybridus</i> plants and the dual-choice test—the number of aphids on the <i>A. hybridus</i> plant associated with either <i>O. gratissimum</i> or <i>O. basilicum</i> was significantly less significant compared to the <i>A. hybridus</i> alone. This first study on the association between <i>A. hybridus</i> and <i>Ocimum</i> spp. shows that the <i>Ocimum</i> species might be used as an alternative method for controlling aphids in order to avoid the use of synthetic pesticides on <i>Amaranthus</i>. The ability of <i>Ocimum</i> spp. to repel pests can make it an important companion plant for farmers, because those plants can not only be used to control pests, but they can also be harvested, providing a direct economic return.
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