Effects ofneo-clerodane diterpenes fromTeucrium on feeding behavior of colorado potato beetle larvae.

Treatment of potato leaf disks with fourneo-clerodane diterpenes fromTeucrium (eriocephalin, teucrin-A, teucvin, and teuscorolide) significantly reduced feeding by larvae ofLeptinotarsa decemlineata (Colorado potato beetle). Choice and no-choice tests suggest that teuscorolide acts as a feeding deterrent, whereas the antifeedant activity of teucrin-A, teucvin, and eriocephalin is likely associated with a toxic mode of action. Nutritional tests, antifeedant simulation assays, and posttreatment studies confirmed that teucrin-A can be categorized by its mode of action as a toxin, rather than as a feeding deterrent.