title: Synergistic and antagonistic interactions of terpenes against Meloidogyne incognita and the nematicidal activity of essential oils from seven plants indigenous to Greece.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Biorational means for phytonematode control were studied within the context of an increasingly ecofriendly pest management global approach. The nematicidal activity and the chemical composition of essential oils (EOs) isolated from seven plants grown in Greece and ten selected compounds extracted from them against second-stage juveniles (J2) of Meloidogyne incognita (Kof. & White) Chitwood were evaluated using juvenile paralysis experiments. Additionally, synergistic and antagonistic interactions between nematicidal terpenes were studied using an effect addition model, with the comparison made at one concentration level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 96 h EC(50) values of Foeniculum vulgare Mill., Pimpinella anisum L., Eucalyptus meliodora A Cunn ex Schauer and Pistacia terebinthus L. were 231, 269, 807 and 1116 µg mL(-1) , respectively, in an immersion bioassay. Benzaldehyde (9 µg mL(-1) ) was the most toxic compound, followed by γ-eudesmol (50 µg mL(-1) ) and estragole (180 µg mL(-1) ), based on 96 h EC(50) values. The most potent terpene pairs between which synergistic actions were found, in decreasing order, were: trans-anethole/geraniol, trans-anethole/eugenol, carvacrol/eugenol and geraniol/carvacrol.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first report on the activity of F. vulgare, P. anisum, E. meliodora and P. terebinthus, and additionally on synergistic/antagonistic nematicidal terpene interactions, against M. incognita, providing alternative methods for nematode control.
authors.affiliation: Pesticide Science Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece. nntali@agro.auth.gr
authors.forename: Nikoletta G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Ntalli
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Giannakou
authors.forename: Urania
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Menkissoglu-Spiroudi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000969:Antinematodal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects; D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000737:chemistry*; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013729:Terpenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014431:Tylenchoidea / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000969:Antinematodal Agents; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D013729:Terpenes