Comparación de la Actividad Acaricida de los Aceites Esenciales de Ocimum Basilicum, Coriandrum Sativum y Thymus Vulgaris contra Tetranychus Urticae

Ecuador is the third largest exporter of flowers in the world, its diversity and quality are an international attraction and represent a great economic contribution to the country; however, these crops are threatened by various pests, one of the most damaging is the mite "spider mite" Tetranychus urticae. To control it, toxic synthetic pesticides are used. The present investigation was carried out in the Florícola "La Julian" (northern Andean zone of Ecuador, 00◦03'00" N and 78◦12'00" W, 2840 masl), its objective was to identify the acaricidal activity of the essential oils of basil (Ocimum basilicum), thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and coriander (Coriandrum sativum) against the mite Tetranychus urticae. Analyses of acaricidal action were performed 24 and 48 hours after application of the essential oil, and the results were compared by nonparametric analysis. For Ocimum basilicum the effective concentration was 1.6 %, for Thymus vulgaris 1.6 % and for Coriandrum sativum 3.12 %. In addition, each concentration was compared with the research control "ethanol" and with a mixture of synthetic products regularly used in the Florícola. At 24 hours, thyme essential oil presented the best acaricidal effect; at 24 and 48 hours, the effectiveness was greater with thyme and basil oils. Finally, a natural acaricide was formulated with thyme essential oil as the active ingredient; this was compared with the synthetic Abamectin-Tetradifon mixture, showing similar acaricidal effect.