Articles
VOLATILE EMISSIONS OF METHYL CYANIDE FROM LEAVES OF GYNANDROPSIS GYNANDRA L. (BRIQ.) AS A POSSIBLE SPIDER MITE REPELLENT
Article number
917_6
Pages
55 – 61
Language
English
Abstract
Gynandropsis gynandra is an important, indigenous vegetable from East Africa and is also widely used in traditional medicine.
Extracts from the plant are reported to repel ticks on livestock, and weevils and thrips in crop plants.
Our earlier work also showed significant repellent properties of G. gynandra against spider mites when used as a companion plant with cut-flower roses.
In this study, we evaluated repellence for five geographically diverse G. gynandra lines using a bioassay, and found all the five lines were equally effective in reducing spider mite infestation when co-grown with a spider mite-susceptible pot-rose Parade® Apollo. We used gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to compare emissions from the five G. gynandra lines and to identify volatile compounds that might contribute to the spider mite-repellent properties.
Methyl cyanide was found as the most abundant volatile compound emitted by young plants of all five G. gynandra lines, and was only present in the pot-rose at trace levels.
This provides a strong suggestion that the compound is significant in repelling spider mites, and further studies are in hand to investigate this and other candidate volatile compounds.
Extracts from the plant are reported to repel ticks on livestock, and weevils and thrips in crop plants.
Our earlier work also showed significant repellent properties of G. gynandra against spider mites when used as a companion plant with cut-flower roses.
In this study, we evaluated repellence for five geographically diverse G. gynandra lines using a bioassay, and found all the five lines were equally effective in reducing spider mite infestation when co-grown with a spider mite-susceptible pot-rose Parade® Apollo. We used gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to compare emissions from the five G. gynandra lines and to identify volatile compounds that might contribute to the spider mite-repellent properties.
Methyl cyanide was found as the most abundant volatile compound emitted by young plants of all five G. gynandra lines, and was only present in the pot-rose at trace levels.
This provides a strong suggestion that the compound is significant in repelling spider mites, and further studies are in hand to investigate this and other candidate volatile compounds.
Authors
S.O. Nyalala, S. Alemayehu , B.W.W. Grout, M.A. Petersen
Keywords
Gynandropsis gynandra, methyl cyanide, repellent, spider mites, volatile emissions
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