Composition of the Essential Oil of Salvia ballotiflora (Lamiaceae) and Its Insecticidal Activity

Essential oils can be used as an alternative to using synthetic insecticides for pest management. Therefore, the insectistatic and insecticidal activities of the essential oil of aerial parts of Salvia ballotiflora (Lamiaceae) were tested against the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). The results demonstrated insecticidal and insectistatical activities against this insect pest with concentrations at 80 µg·mL(−1) resulting in 20% larval viability and 10% pupal viability. The larval viability fifty (LV(50)) corresponded to a concentration of 128.8 µg·mL(−1). This oil also increased the duration of the larval phase by 5.5 days and reduced the pupal weight by 29.2% withrespect to the control. The GC-MS analysis of the essential oil of S. ballotiflora showed its main components to be caryophyllene oxide (15.97%), and β-caryophyllene (12.74%), which showed insecticidal and insectistatical activities against S. frugiperda. The insecticidal activity of β-caryophyllene began at 80 µg·mL(−1), giving a larval viability of 25% and viability pupal of 20%. The insectistatic activity also started at 80 µg·mL(−1) reducing the pupal weight by 22.1% with respect to control. Caryophyllene oxide showed insecticidal activity at 80 µg·mL(−1) giving a larval viability of 35% and viability pupal of 20%.The insectistatic activity started at 400 µg·mL(−1) and increased the larval phase by 8.8% days with respect to control. The LV(50) values for these compounds were 153.1 and 146.5 µg·mL(−1), respectively.