2-Tridecanone: A Naturally Occurring Insecticide from the Wild Tomato <i>Lycopersicon hirsutum</i> f. <i>glabratum</i>

Abstract

A nonalkaloid insecticide was isolated from the wild tomato Lycopersicon hirsutum f. glabratum and identified as 2-tridecanone, a compound 72 times more abundant in the wild tomato than in the cultivated tomato L. esculentum. Lepidopterous larvae (Manduca sexta and Heliothis zea) and aphids (Aphis gossypii) died when confined on 2-tridecanone-treated filter paper.