Zhang Ying, Wang Xinhang, Bian Zhipeng, Se Chenchen, Yang Guoqing, Lu Yanhui
College of Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.
Front Plant Sci. 2025 Apr 3;16:1545499. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1545499. eCollection 2025.
The cotton aphid is a significant polyphagous crop pest and has evolved a high level of resistance to neonicotinoids and other insecticides. Flavonoids, plant phytonutrients, have shown promise as natural insect deterrents and growth inhibitors. However, comprehensive evaluations of the effects of flavonoids on are currently lacking.
In this study, we first evaluated the effects of seven flavonoids (kaempferol, genistein, daidzein, naringenin, rutin, luteolin, and apigenin) on aphid settling behavior using choice assays, followed by electrical penetration graph (EPG) recordings to assess their influence on feeding activity. We then measured honeydew excretion and conducted life table analysis under laboratory conditions to assess effects on growth and reproduction. Under greenhouse conditions, all seven flavonoids were tested for their inhibitory effects on population growth over 12 days. Based on the results, three effective flavonoids were selected for further testing at four concentrations (1×, 2×, 3×, and 4× of 1 μg/μL) to assess dose-dependent effects.
We found that all seven flavonoids significantly deterred aphid settling on host plants. Kaempferol, daidzein, naringenin, rutin, luteolin, and apigenin significantly reduced the total duration of phloem feeding and the proportion of time spent on phloem-related activities. And also, each of seven flavonoids reduced honeydew production compared to controls. In the laboratory, all flavonoids reduced adult longevity and fecundity, and kaempferol, genistein, daidzein, naringenin, luteolin and apigenin also reduced the net reproductive rate (R), intrinsic rate of increase (r), and finite rate of increase (λ). Naringenin, apigenin, and kaempferol significantly inhibited population growth in a dose-dependent manner over 12 days.
These results demonstrate that the seven flavonoids, especially naringenin, apigenin, and kaempferol tested provided effective management of populations by deterring host settling, reducing phloem feeding, honeydew production, and decreasing reproductive rates. This study highlights the potential of flavonoids as eco-friendly control agents against .
棉蚜是一种重要的多食性作物害虫，已对新烟碱类和其他杀虫剂产生了高度抗性。黄酮类化合物作为植物营养成分，已显示出有望成为天然的昆虫驱避剂和生长抑制剂。然而，目前缺乏对黄酮类化合物对棉蚜影响的全面评估。
在本研究中，我们首先使用选择试验评估了七种黄酮类化合物（山奈酚、染料木黄酮、大豆苷元、柚皮素、芦丁、木犀草素和芹菜素）对蚜虫取食行为的影响，随后通过刺吸电位图谱（EPG）记录来评估它们对取食活动的影响。然后我们测量了蜜露排泄量，并在实验室条件下进行生命表分析以评估对生长和繁殖的影响。在温室条件下，测试了所有七种黄酮类化合物在12天内对棉蚜种群增长的抑制作用。根据结果，选择了三种有效的黄酮类化合物在四种浓度（1 μg/μL的1倍、2倍、3倍和4倍）下进行进一步测试，以评估剂量依赖性效应。
我们发现所有七种黄酮类化合物都能显著阻止蚜虫在寄主植物上取食。山奈酚、大豆苷元、柚皮素、芦丁、木犀草素和芹菜素显著缩短了韧皮部取食的总持续时间以及在韧皮部相关活动上花费的时间比例。此外，与对照相比，七种黄酮类化合物中的每一种都减少了蜜露的分泌。在实验室中，所有黄酮类化合物都缩短了成虫寿命和繁殖力，山奈酚、染料木黄酮、大豆苷元、柚皮素、木犀草素和芹菜素还降低了净生殖率（R）、内禀增长率（r）和周限增长率（λ）。柚皮素、芹菜素和山奈酚在12天内以剂量依赖性方式显著抑制了棉蚜种群增长。
这些结果表明，所测试的七种黄酮类化合物，尤其是柚皮素、芹菜素和山奈酚，通过阻止寄主取食、减少韧皮部取食、蜜露分泌以及降低繁殖率，有效地控制了棉蚜种群。本研究突出了黄酮类化合物作为对棉蚜的生态友好型防治剂的潜力。
