The bio-interactions between plants, insecticides and fertilizers: an innovative approach for the research of xenobiotic substances

In this experiment carried out on Caribbean chili pepper plants ( Capsicum chinensis ), the bio-insecticide azadirachtin in combination with an NPK fertilizer proved to have a greater lethal impact on the larvae of Aedes albopictus than each substance on its own. This synergistic effect is noticeably important when both inputs are sprayed directly on the leaves of the plant (foliar application). While the plants treated with azadirachtin or NPK alone cause a 33.6% and 36.4% mortality respectively of the Ae. albopictus larvae, the combination of the two inputs induces a 74.4% mortality on the mosquito larvae. To account for this synergistic effect phenomenon inside the plant, the azadirachtin + NPK combination most likely interacts with the capsaicinoid compounds naturally produced by the plant. Not only does this study carried out on azadirachtin reveal major results but the methodology itself offers a most interesting approach on how to boost the agricultural inputs within the plants. As a matter of fact, this research axis demands developing since the control of pests harmful to men has been dramatically lacking insecticide molecules acting on new targets over the past three decades. Graphical Abstract