Bioinsecticidal Potential of Cestrum parqui: Laboratory Tests on Three Agricultural Pest Lepidoptera

A study of the ingestion toxicity of Cestrum parqui was conducted on three crop-damaging Lepidoptera: Pieris brassicae (Pieridae), Spodoptera littoralis, and Helicoverpa armigera (Noctuidae). The results show disruptions in feeding behavior, digestion, development, and reproduction. Developmental arrest, larval mortality due to difficulties in molting, nymphal malformations, and difficulties in emergence were observed. Protein analysis reveals impaired protein digestion, which affects protein levels in larval hemolymph and cuticle, cuticle thickness, pupa weight, adult wingspan, and the number of eggs in female ovaries. Cestrum parqui is a plant with significant insecticidal potential that can be utilized for the production of alternatives to synthetic chemical pesticides.