Arácnido Taxonomy

  In vitro evaluation of venom extracts of Sphecid wasps against phytopathogens of horticultural crops and mass spectrometric profiling of venom peptide components Abstract As the shortcomings of synthetic chemicals become gradually evident, the dynamics of pest and disease management in modern agriculture are progressively shifting towards environmentally safer alternatives. Biopesticides, such as peptide-based approaches offer attractive alternatives, although their potential remains yet to be fully explored. In this exploratory study, crude venom extracts from previously unexplored Hymenopteran sphecid wasps ( Chalybion bengalense , Sceliphron madraspatanum , Ammophila atriceps and Sphex argentatus ) were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against selected plant pathogens. The venom extracts demonstrated prominent antibacterial activity lacking antifungal activity. Among the wasps, C . bengalense exhibited the most significant antibacterial activity against Gram-negati...