Recent Advances in the Use of Botanical Extracts from Jatropha Species for the Sustainable Control of Insect Pests: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The use of botanical extracts derived from Jatropha spp. offers a sustainable alternative for controlling insect pests, thereby reducing reliance on synthetic chemical insecticides. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to summarize the published evidence on the insecticidal activity of these extracts. Electronic database searches were conducted to identify relevant studies evaluating Jatropha spp. botanical extracts against insect pests, including mortality, antifeedant activity, time of development, oviposition inhibition, and repellency. A random-effects meta-analysis for continuous variables with 95% confidence intervals was employed to compare treated insects against a control group. The study encompassed 77 articles, which evaluated extracts from various botanical parts of Jatropha curcas and Jatropha gossypifolia against insects from nine taxonomic orders. The results of the meta-analyses demonstrated that aqueous, ethanolic, and methanolic extracts from leaves and seeds were effective in increasing the mortality rate of treated insects. These extracts also affected the insects by prolonging development time, reducing weight gain in larvae and pupae, inhibiting oviposition, and increasing the percentage of repellency. Consequently, the foliar application of botanical extracts obtained from the leaves and seeds of J. curcas and J. gossypifolia represent a sustainable and agroecological alternative for the control of insect pests from different taxonomic orders.