Atividade Inseticida de Extratos Etanólicos de Limão-Cravo (Citrus limonia Osbeck) no Controle de Formigas Cortadeiras

Abstract

Leaf-cutting ants of the genera Atta and Acromyrmex are major agricultural pests in Brazil, causing significant damage due to their high defoliation capacity and complex social structure. Conventional control relies mainly on synthetic insecticides, such as fipronil and sulfluramida, which, although effective, exhibit high environmental persistence and ecotoxicological risks. Consequently, there is increasing interest in sustainable alternatives, particularly botanical extracts, which are biodegradable and contain diverse metabolites with insecticidal and repellent properties. Among the promising species, Citrus limonia stands out for its high concentration of monoterpenes, especially D-limonene. This study evaluated the insecticidal activity of ethanolic extracts from C. limonia peels on workers of Atta sexdens and Acromyrmex sp. The peels were obtained from pesticide-free production systems, processed, and subjected to maceration in 96% ethanol for 15 days, followed by concentration using a rotary evaporator. Ants were collected from the experimental area of the IFG campus and used in four bioassays conducted in a completely randomized design, varying extract and solvent concentrations. Evaluations were performed between 24 and 72 hours by recording worker mortality. The experiments revealed a toxic effect of the citrus extracts and demonstrated the influence of different concentrations on leaf-cutting ant mortality. The findings highlight the potential of C. limonia peel extracts as a natural alternative for managing these pests, supporting the integration of botanical products into sustainable Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies and reducing dependence on synthetic insecticides.