Valorization of agricultural byproducts – The use of mustard seed meal for pest control

Abstract

Mustard seed (Brassica juncea) meals from biodiesel production can be utilized as a feedstock for sourcing pesticidal compounds that can control ubiquitous soil pests such as wireworms. In the present study, we evaluated the pesticidal activity of B. juncea seed meal on wireworms (Limonius infuscatus) to promote the valorization of B. juncea seed meal with the end goal of increasing the overall sustainability of crop production. In the laboratory soil column study, B. juncea seed meal were applied to typical agricultural soil infested with wireworms. After application, the release of the primary biopesticidal compound was monitored and correlated with the motility, mortality, and metabolomic changes of wireworms. The pesticidal effect of B. juncea seed meal on wireworms was evident by the mass change and metabolomic response consistent with the stress response. Mortality of up to 100 % of wireworms was observed when soils was treated with B. juncea seed meal and tarped. Based on the statistical analysis, the release of the primary biopesticidal compound from B. juncea seed meal correlated well with soil electrical conductivity making it a potential proxy method for field monitoring.