Acaricidal potential of the essential oil of Hypericum perforatum L. against two spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch

Two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Tetranychidae), is a worldwide common pest of many plant species in the greenhouses, orchards and field crops. Application of synthetic pesticides in the management of such pests causes negative effects on the environment and human health. Further, effects on non-target organisms and resistance of the most of agricultural pests to these chemicals have been reported recently. It is, therefore, necessary to discover safe alternatives which can minimize negative effects of synthetic chemicals. In the present study, essential oil of Tipton’s weed, Hypericum perforatum L. (Hypericaceae), was extracted from its aerial pars using Clevenger apparatus and fumigant toxicity of obtained essential oil was assessed against the adult females of T. urticae after 24 h exposure time. Th e essential oil revealed strong fumigant toxicity against T. urticae. Based on the analysis of variance and means comparing by Tokey’s test, toxicity depended on essential oil concentrations. Fifty percentage lethal concentration (LC50) was found as 3.249 (3.072 – 3.437) 𝜇L/L air. Susceptibility of pest was directly associated with oil concentrations (R² = 0.965). Results indicated that H. perforatum essential oil has a worthwhile potential for managing of T. urticae and can be considered as a safe alternative to the synthetic pesticides.