Nematicidal Extracts of Chinaberry, Parsley and Rocket Are Safe to Eisenia fetida , Enchytraeus albidus , Daphnia magna and Danio rerio

In the frame of a “greener agriculture”, the development of new natural pesticides that are safer than their synthetic counterparts is gaining ground. Nonetheless, the origin of their nature does not necessarily imply their eco-friendliness. Hence, specific ecotoxicological studies are needed, with products being subjected to hazard and consequent risk assessment, for registration purposes. We have previously described on the strong nematicidal activity of Melia azedarach (chinaberry), Petroselinum crispum (parsley) and Eruca sativa (rocket) against the nematode Meloidogyne incognita . With this study the effect of the above-mentioned nematicidal botanicals on Eisenia fetida , Enchytraeus albidus , Daphnia magna and Danio rerio (Zebrafish) is reported, being all model organisms for the study of ecotoxicology of pesticides under registration. The implemented protocols are according to the OECD standards used for the evaluation of formulates under authorization. NOEC values were estimated to be higher than the highest concentrations assessed as recommended by OECD guidelines (≥1000 mg test item/kg dry soil). According to the presented results, all tested botanical nematicidals proved ecofriendly, not hindering the reproduction of juvenile worms of Eisenia fetida , and Enchytraeus albidus . Notably, Petroselinum crispum exhibited beneficial effects on reproduction of Eisenia fetida , as the number of juveniles increased. M. azedarach extract demonstrated moderate toxicity to zebrafish embryos (LC 50 was 51.41 ± 1.67 mg/L), yet it did not elicit adverse effects on the zebrafish liver. Thus, chinaberry, parsley and rocket are promising to be developed into new “green” nematicides.