Insecticidal Potential of Essential Oils from Origanum onites, Lavandula angustifolia, and Foeniculum vulgare Against Agonoscena pistaciae: Integrated In Vitro and In Silico Approaches

This study evaluated the insecticidal potential of essential oils (EOs) obtained from Origanum onites, Lavandula angustifolia, and Foeniculum vulgare against Agonoscena pistaciae. The phytochemical content of the essential oils was determined by GC-MS. Furthermore, molecular docking analyses were performed to theoretically investigate the inhibitory properties of the dominant compounds against the detoxification enzymes glutathione S-transferase (GST) and cytochrome P450. In the GC-MS analysis, the dominant components were identified as follows: O. onites (60.51% carvacrol, 9.73% linalool, and 7.53% cis-cymene); L. angustifolia (25.44% linalyl acetate, 23.47% linalool, and 7.37% cis-cymene); and F. vulgare (49.41% anethol, 14.62% p-anisaldehyde, and 9.35% estragol). As a result of molecular docking, carvacrol showed the strongest binding affinity to both enzymes, surpassing the reference inhibitors metronidazole and coniferil ferulate, achieving docking scores of -5.40 kcal/mol and -5.70 kcal/mol, respectively. Visualization of molecular interactions revealed strong hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic contacts between carvacrol and the enzyme active sites. Biological analyses confirmed that carvacrol-rich O. onites EOs caused significantly higher mortality rates in A. pistaciae larvae compared to other applications and controls. These results demonstrate that carvacrol derived from O. onites is a promising natural insecticide targeting detoxification enzymes in pests and offering a sustainable alternative to synthetic pesticides.