Possibility of Combined Use of Thymol and Carvacrol to Control the Number of Peach Aphids Myzus persicae (Sulzer, 1776)

Abstract

The wide range of biological activity of essential oils in relation to pests gives reason to consider them as additional plant protection products and in other measures aimed at reducing the number of harmful arthropods. This paper presents the results of a study of the biological activity of a mixture of thymol and carvacrol, which are part of the essential oils of many plants, including oregano Origanum vulgare L. for the peach aphid Myzus persicae. The use of essential oil and a mixture of its components as fumigants has demonstrated their high aphidocidal potential. When processing the leaves of a forage plant (beans), the ability of a mixture of thymol and carvacrol to reduce the viability of female aphids and the number of offspring was established, and on vegetative plants (pepper) to negatively affect the survival of individuals of the daughter generation in the preimaginal period. The short duration of action allows the use of oils and individual components in conjunction with biological control agents and pollinators, and assumes a slight or complete absence of residues in food products. Preparations based on essential oils of plants can be used immediately before harvesting, due to the minimum waiting period.