title: Ultrastructural and developmental toxicity of potato and tomato leaf extracts to beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (lepidoptera: noctuidae).
abstract: Beet Armyworm, Spodoptera exigua is a herbivorous moth and a serious pest of many economically important plants, which are used as food sources. Because of rigorous standards of food quality, usage of synthetic insecticides in crop protection, against pests, is limited. Solanaceae plant extracts may be a relatively cheap source of efficient natural insecticides that can limit usage of synthetic substances. Their biological activity is not fully known. In particular, ultrastructural studies, using transmission electron microscopy, are not usual. In the present article we describe the effects of sublethal concentrations of tomato and potato leaf extracts against S. exigua. Acute lethal effects were not observed. Both extracts exerted similar effects within midgut and fat body cells. Midgut cells were not significantly altered while fat body cells showed prominent swelling of nuclear envelope and endoplasmic reticulum, vacuolization of mitochondria and fusion of fat droplets. These changes were much more intensive within groups exposed to potato than tomato extracts at highest concentration at least. Light microscopy was used to observe and document developmental alterations of S. exigua exposed to potato and tomato leaf extracts. Potato leaf extracts significantly decreased hatching success and caused morphological malformations of imagoes. Among them, malformations of wings were the most prominent. Interestingly, these effects were not observed within populations exposed to tomato extracts at highest concentration at least.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Physiology and Development, Institute of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, ul. Umultowska 89, Poznan, 61-614, Poland. zbigniew.adamski@amu.edu.pl.|Electron and Confocal Microscope Laboratory, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, ul. Umultowska 89, Poznan, 61-614, Poland. zbigniew.adamski@amu.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Zbigniew
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Adamski
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Physiology and Development, Institute of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, ul. Umultowska 89, Poznan, 61-614, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Radtke
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Physiology and Development, Institute of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, ul. Umultowska 89, Poznan, 61-614, Poland.
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kopiczko
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Physiology and Development, Institute of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, ul. Umultowska 89, Poznan, 61-614, Poland.
authors.forename: Szymon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chowański
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Physiology and Development, Institute of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, ul. Umultowska 89, Poznan, 61-614, Poland.
authors.forename: Paweł
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marciniak
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Physiology and Development, Institute of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, ul. Umultowska 89, Poznan, 61-614, Poland.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Szymczak
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Physiology and Development, Institute of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, ul. Umultowska 89, Poznan, 61-614, Poland.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spochacz
authors.affiliation: Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Potenza, Italy.
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Falabella
authors.affiliation: Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Potenza, Italy.
authors.forename: Filomena
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lelario
authors.affiliation: Department of European and Mediterranean Cultures, University of Basilicata, Matera, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Scrano
authors.affiliation: Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Potenza, Italy.
authors.forename: Sabino A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Bufo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D007306:Insecticides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011198:Solanum tuberosum / Q000737:chemistry*; D018411:Spodoptera / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure*
chemical_list: D007306:Insecticides; D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: biological insecticides; fat body; midgut; transmission electron microscopy