Citronella Extracts: Chemical Composition, In Vivo and In Silico Insecticidal Activity against Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda J.E Smith)

Citronella (Cymbopogon nardus L.) is a widely used plant in medicinal and agrochemical fields due to its unique secondary metabolite, citronellal. In this study, the chemical composition of citronella stem extract and its biopesticide activity against fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) was studied. Extraction of citronella with 96% ethanol was carried out using three methods, namely maceration, soxhletation, and microwave was analyzed using a GC-MS instrument. The potential of the extract as a biopesticide was carried out using the Completely Randomized Design (CRD) method by treating instar II 1.5%; 2.5%; and 3.5% in triplicate. Data were analyzed using SPSS probit analysis. through molecular docking analysis. The results showed that th citronellal percentage, 0.28%, compared to maceration (0.03%) and MAE (0.02%). Three citronellal compounds were detected in the extracts, namely citronellol, geranyl acetate, and hydroxy citronellol. soxhletation method was powerfully effective as a biopesticide with an LC docking analysis showed that all citronellal compounds contained in the extract had a binding en indicating a potential bioactivity. Hydroxy citronellol had bond interactions in Arg314 and Phe313 residues. It can be concluded that ethanolic extract of citronell biopesticide, particularly against fall armyworm