Sustainable pest management with moroccan essential oils: Insights into insecticidal, behavioral effects, and factors influencing bioactivity

Morocco is widely known for its biodiversity in flora, notably medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP). These plants are widely distributed across the country in different climates, latitudes, and altitudes, and have been reported for various biological activities. This review aims to showcase the insecticidal and behavioral effects of Moroccan essential oils (EO) extracted from different plant families against insect pests. All eligible studies were retrieved from Scopus and Web of Science following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines using ‘Essential oil” and “Insect*” as keywords where 11,400 articles were found and only 58 studies met the aim of this review. The analysis of articles retrieved from Scopus and Web of Science revealed a strong dominance of EOs extracted from the Lamiaceae family, where Mentha pulegium and Rosmarinus officinalis appear as the most studied species. In terms of Insects, the Coleoptera order was the most species evaluated for different bioassays, where Callosobruchus maculatus and Tribolium castaneum were the most studied species. In terms of bioactivities, Moroccan EOs exhibited a potent insecticidal activity via fumigation, contact, ingestion, and topical application. These EOs also affected the behavior of insects, leading to repellent, feeding deterrent, and anti-settling effects. Besides, this review highlights the impact of several factors on reported bioactivities. These factors can be related to EOs such as harvest period, geographical distribution, plant part used, and others related to the insects, such as insect species, developmental stages, and sex of adults. In brief, the diversity of EOs extracted from Moroccan Plants shows a promising capacity for the development of sustainable, natural, and harmless solutions for the control of pests.