Methyl Salicylate Shows Promise as Sustainable Pest Control in Maize

Strategic Insights -

Researchers from Jilin Agricultural University in Changchun, China, have made a significant breakthrough in finding a sustainable pest control method for maize. With the increasing challenges posed by corn aphids, particularly with the widespread adoption of genetically modified Bt maize, the study suggests that methyl salicylate could be a game-changer. According to the study, methyl salicylate can repel aphids at concentrations of 0.1 to 1,000 ng/mL and attract beneficial insects, such as adults and larvae of Harmonia axyridis. The study's findings were published in the Journal of Integrative Agriculture and showed that methyl salicylate-impregnated alginate beads provided significant reductions in aphid populations in field trials over two years.

Key Takeaways:

  • Methyl salicylate has been proposed as a volatile compound with the potential for managing aphids in maize.
  • The study used Y-tube olfactometer and Petri dish dispersal assays to show that methyl salicylate can repel wingless and winged aphids at concentrations of 0.1 to 1,000 ng/mL.
  • At concentrations of 100 and 1,000 ng/mL, methyl salicylate was found to attract beneficial insects such as adults and larvae of Harmonia axyridis.
  • Clip cage experiment assays showed that the nymphal development duration was increased, while the adult duration and generation time were reduced, and the reproductive duration and total number of aphid offspring in plants treated with methyl salicylate were dramatically lower than in the control.
  • Over two years of field trials, methyl salicylate-impregnated alginate beads provided significant reductions in the populations of key aphid species, including Rhopalosiphum padi, Rhopalosiphum maidis, and Aphis gossypii.

Statistics:

  • 0.1-1,000 ng/mL: the concentration range of methyl salicylate that can repel wingless and winged aphids.
  • 100 and 1,000 ng/mL: the concentrations of methyl salicylate that were found to attract beneficial insects such as adults and larvae of Harmonia axyridis.
  • 2 years: the duration of the field trials that showed significant reductions in aphid populations in plants treated with methyl salicylate-impregnated alginate beads.
  • 22.1%: the reduction in Rhopalosiphum padi aphid populations after treatment with methyl salicylate-impregnated alginate beads.
  • 19.4%: the reduction in Rhopalosiphum maidis aphid populations after treatment with methyl salicylate-impregnated alginate beads.
  • 18.2%: the reduction in Aphis gossypii aphid populations after treatment with methyl salicylate-impregnated alginate beads.

Sources:

  • Methyl salicylate reduces aphid abundance in maize through multiple modes of action. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2025, 24(10): 3966-3977.
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.12.027.
  • Published by KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.