Are We Adequately Testing Essential Oils as Insecticides in the Laboratory? Bridging the Gap Between Laboratory Bioassays and Field Applications

Autores
Lucia, Alejandro; Guzmán, Eduardo; Toloza, Ariel Ceferino
Año de publicación
2025
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Essential oils (EOs) have been extensively studied as potential alternatives for insect pest management. In recent years, research on these natural compounds has increased substantially. However, despite numerous studies demonstrating the insecticidal properties of EOs under laboratory conditions, their practical application remains limited. This discrepancy highlights a significant gap between experimental findings and the development of commercially viable products. Several factors have been proposed as the basis for this gap, including the absence of positive controls to compare their effectiveness (i), the imperative need to develop new formulations (ii), and the potential toxicity of many to non-target organisms (iii). This work focuses on why the information obtained in the laboratory has not translated into the biopesticide market. A key issue is the difficulty of applying laboratory knowledge in adapting to field-like scenarios, such as spray quality (droplet size and volume), the nature of the application solvent used in the sprayer tank, and the way the insect is exposed to the insecticide (i.e., the type of laboratory bioassay selected). This challenge is primarily due to researchers’ limited understanding of the application techniques used in field settings to manage specific insect pests. Many laboratory bioassays designed to measure effectiveness do not accurately reflect field conditions; instead, they often create scenarios that artificially enhance effectiveness. This results in an unrealistically high effectiveness estimate of the true potential of EOs in controlling the targeted insects.
Fil: Lucia, Alejandro. Universidad Nacional de Luján. Instituto de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable; Argentina
Fil: Guzmán, Eduardo. Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas; España
Fil: Toloza, Ariel Ceferino. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo Estratégico para la Defensa. Ministerio de Defensa. Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo Estratégico para la Defensa; Argentina
Materia
ESSENTIAL OILS
BIOASSAYS
LABORATORY TEST
BIOPESTICIDES
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
Repositorio
CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Institución
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
OAI Identificador
oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/284936
Acceder
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network_name_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
spelling Are We Adequately Testing Essential Oils as Insecticides in the Laboratory? Bridging the Gap Between Laboratory Bioassays and Field ApplicationsLucia, AlejandroGuzmán, EduardoToloza, Ariel CeferinoESSENTIAL OILSBIOASSAYSLABORATORY TESTBIOPESTICIDEShttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1Essential oils (EOs) have been extensively studied as potential alternatives for insect pest management. In recent years, research on these natural compounds has increased substantially. However, despite numerous studies demonstrating the insecticidal properties of EOs under laboratory conditions, their practical application remains limited. This discrepancy highlights a significant gap between experimental findings and the development of commercially viable products. Several factors have been proposed as the basis for this gap, including the absence of positive controls to compare their effectiveness (i), the imperative need to develop new formulations (ii), and the potential toxicity of many to non-target organisms (iii). This work focuses on why the information obtained in the laboratory has not translated into the biopesticide market. A key issue is the difficulty of applying laboratory knowledge in adapting to field-like scenarios, such as spray quality (droplet size and volume), the nature of the application solvent used in the sprayer tank, and the way the insect is exposed to the insecticide (i.e., the type of laboratory bioassay selected). This challenge is primarily due to researchers’ limited understanding of the application techniques used in field settings to manage specific insect pests. Many laboratory bioassays designed to measure effectiveness do not accurately reflect field conditions; instead, they often create scenarios that artificially enhance effectiveness. This results in an unrealistically high effectiveness estimate of the true potential of EOs in controlling the targeted insects.Fil: Lucia, Alejandro. Universidad Nacional de Luján. Instituto de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable; ArgentinaFil: Guzmán, Eduardo. Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas; EspañaFil: Toloza, Ariel Ceferino. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo Estratégico para la Defensa. Ministerio de Defensa. Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo Estratégico para la Defensa; ArgentinaMDPI2025-12info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/284936Lucia, Alejandro; Guzmán, Eduardo; Toloza, Ariel Ceferino; Are We Adequately Testing Essential Oils as Insecticides in the Laboratory? Bridging the Gap Between Laboratory Bioassays and Field Applications; MDPI; Plants; 15; 1; 12-2025; 1-182223-7747CONICET DigitalCONICETenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/15/1/84info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.3390/plants15010084info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2026-08-25T14:34:20Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/284936instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982026-08-25 14:34:21.301CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Are We Adequately Testing Essential Oils as Insecticides in the Laboratory? Bridging the Gap Between Laboratory Bioassays and Field Applications
title Are We Adequately Testing Essential Oils as Insecticides in the Laboratory? Bridging the Gap Between Laboratory Bioassays and Field Applications
spellingShingle Are We Adequately Testing Essential Oils as Insecticides in the Laboratory? Bridging the Gap Between Laboratory Bioassays and Field Applications
Lucia, Alejandro
ESSENTIAL OILS
BIOASSAYS
LABORATORY TEST
BIOPESTICIDES
title_short Are We Adequately Testing Essential Oils as Insecticides in the Laboratory? Bridging the Gap Between Laboratory Bioassays and Field Applications
title_full Are We Adequately Testing Essential Oils as Insecticides in the Laboratory? Bridging the Gap Between Laboratory Bioassays and Field Applications
title_fullStr Are We Adequately Testing Essential Oils as Insecticides in the Laboratory? Bridging the Gap Between Laboratory Bioassays and Field Applications
title_full_unstemmed Are We Adequately Testing Essential Oils as Insecticides in the Laboratory? Bridging the Gap Between Laboratory Bioassays and Field Applications
title_sort Are We Adequately Testing Essential Oils as Insecticides in the Laboratory? Bridging the Gap Between Laboratory Bioassays and Field Applications
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Lucia, Alejandro
Guzmán, Eduardo
Toloza, Ariel Ceferino
author Lucia, Alejandro
author_facet Lucia, Alejandro
Guzmán, Eduardo
Toloza, Ariel Ceferino
author_role author
author2 Guzmán, Eduardo
Toloza, Ariel Ceferino
author2_role author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv ESSENTIAL OILS
BIOASSAYS
LABORATORY TEST
BIOPESTICIDES
topic ESSENTIAL OILS
BIOASSAYS
LABORATORY TEST
BIOPESTICIDES
purl_subject.fl_str_mv https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Essential oils (EOs) have been extensively studied as potential alternatives for insect pest management. In recent years, research on these natural compounds has increased substantially. However, despite numerous studies demonstrating the insecticidal properties of EOs under laboratory conditions, their practical application remains limited. This discrepancy highlights a significant gap between experimental findings and the development of commercially viable products. Several factors have been proposed as the basis for this gap, including the absence of positive controls to compare their effectiveness (i), the imperative need to develop new formulations (ii), and the potential toxicity of many to non-target organisms (iii). This work focuses on why the information obtained in the laboratory has not translated into the biopesticide market. A key issue is the difficulty of applying laboratory knowledge in adapting to field-like scenarios, such as spray quality (droplet size and volume), the nature of the application solvent used in the sprayer tank, and the way the insect is exposed to the insecticide (i.e., the type of laboratory bioassay selected). This challenge is primarily due to researchers’ limited understanding of the application techniques used in field settings to manage specific insect pests. Many laboratory bioassays designed to measure effectiveness do not accurately reflect field conditions; instead, they often create scenarios that artificially enhance effectiveness. This results in an unrealistically high effectiveness estimate of the true potential of EOs in controlling the targeted insects.
Fil: Lucia, Alejandro. Universidad Nacional de Luján. Instituto de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable; Argentina
Fil: Guzmán, Eduardo. Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas; España
Fil: Toloza, Ariel Ceferino. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo Estratégico para la Defensa. Ministerio de Defensa. Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo Estratégico para la Defensa; Argentina
description Essential oils (EOs) have been extensively studied as potential alternatives for insect pest management. In recent years, research on these natural compounds has increased substantially. However, despite numerous studies demonstrating the insecticidal properties of EOs under laboratory conditions, their practical application remains limited. This discrepancy highlights a significant gap between experimental findings and the development of commercially viable products. Several factors have been proposed as the basis for this gap, including the absence of positive controls to compare their effectiveness (i), the imperative need to develop new formulations (ii), and the potential toxicity of many to non-target organisms (iii). This work focuses on why the information obtained in the laboratory has not translated into the biopesticide market. A key issue is the difficulty of applying laboratory knowledge in adapting to field-like scenarios, such as spray quality (droplet size and volume), the nature of the application solvent used in the sprayer tank, and the way the insect is exposed to the insecticide (i.e., the type of laboratory bioassay selected). This challenge is primarily due to researchers’ limited understanding of the application techniques used in field settings to manage specific insect pests. Many laboratory bioassays designed to measure effectiveness do not accurately reflect field conditions; instead, they often create scenarios that artificially enhance effectiveness. This results in an unrealistically high effectiveness estimate of the true potential of EOs in controlling the targeted insects.
publishDate 2025
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025-12
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/11336/284936
Lucia, Alejandro; Guzmán, Eduardo; Toloza, Ariel Ceferino; Are We Adequately Testing Essential Oils as Insecticides in the Laboratory? Bridging the Gap Between Laboratory Bioassays and Field Applications; MDPI; Plants; 15; 1; 12-2025; 1-18
2223-7747
CONICET Digital
CONICET
url http://hdl.handle.net/11336/284936
identifier_str_mv Lucia, Alejandro; Guzmán, Eduardo; Toloza, Ariel Ceferino; Are We Adequately Testing Essential Oils as Insecticides in the Laboratory? Bridging the Gap Between Laboratory Bioassays and Field Applications; MDPI; Plants; 15; 1; 12-2025; 1-18
2223-7747
CONICET Digital
CONICET
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/15/1/84
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.3390/plants15010084
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv MDPI
publisher.none.fl_str_mv MDPI
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
reponame_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
collection CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname_str Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.name.fl_str_mv CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.mail.fl_str_mv dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar
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score 13.24418

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