Evaluation of the effect of polyesters containing a curcumin ring system on Bemisia tabaci

Abstract

The whitefly Bemisia tabaci is a destructive insect pest that infects many plants. Finding solutions to reduce the damage associated with whiteflies and their widespread use is of great interest. Therefore, the current research aims to synthesize four polyesters containing a curcumin ring system and investigate their effects against B. tabaci. The synthesized polyesters killed whitefly eggs and their nymphs. Polyester containing a methoxy group (P3) showed the best performance (80.3%) toward the mortality of insect eggs among all the tested polymers. Polyester containing a 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde moiety (P2) showed the lowest mortality efficiency (50.9%) against whitefly eggs after 72 h of treatment. The effect of polyester concentration on the mortality of insect nymphs varied during the treatment period. The mortality rate of nymphs after P3 treatment was the highest (78.0%), whereas that after P2 treatment was the lowest (46.9%). The polyester type, concentration, and treatment duration significantly affected the insect nymph mortality rate. Polyester containing a methoxy group for 72 h resulted in the highest mortality rate (90.0%) against whitefly nymphs.