Sustainable agriculture providing with food quality and sufficiency is a major challenge for farmers, agro-industries, researchers, and governments. Synthetic nematicides have long had application in plant protection for the control of the root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.). Phytonematodes represent one of the most damaging pests causing more than $100 billion of crop losses in fruit and vegetable production annually. In the recent years, the environmental, food safety, and animal welfare issues pose the need for alternative nematode control measures. Plant secondary metabolites, involved in the complex chemical-mediated interactions between a plant and other organisms in its environment, can provide bioactive leading compounds to be studied further as innovative nematode control measures in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs. Here, we report the nematicidal activity of selected aromatic aldehydes against the root knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita. The most active aldehyde was phthalaldehyde with an EC50 value of 10.6 � 5.9 mg/L followed by salicylaldehyde and cinnamic aldehyde with an EC50 of 10.8 � 1.0 and 12.1 � 5.3 mg/L, respectively. The reactivity of tested aldehydes against a synthetic peptide resembling the nematode cuticle was characterized by means of liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. We report that at the test concentration of 1 mM, the main adduct formation was observed for 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, 2-methoxybenzaldehyde, and 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde. Considering that 2-methoxybenzaldehyde and 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde were not active against M. incognita in in vitro experiments, we hypothesize a different mechanism of action rather than an effect on the external cuticle modification of nematodes. The results of this investigation reveal that aromatic redox-active aldehydes can be considered as potent nematicides, and further investigation is needed to clarify their mode of action.

Potent nematicidal activity of redox-active aromatic aldehydes against <i>Meloidogyne incognita</i>

246th National Meeting (2013)

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Potent nematicidal activity of redox-active aromatic aldehydes against Meloidogyne incognita