Ecotoxicity of a novel biopesticide from Artemisia absinthium on non-target aquatic organisms.

Biopesticides are increasingly being used to replace synthetic pesticides for pest control. This change raises concern for its environmental impacts, especially on non-target organisms. In this study, the ecotoxicological effects of a potential nematicide from Spanish populations of Artemisia absinthium (var. Candial) were evaluated on freshwater and aquatic non-target organisms. The study focused on the aqueous extract (hydrolate), the principal component of which ((-) -(Z) -2,6-dimethylocta-5,7-diene-2,3-diol) is responsible for its nematicidal effect. Until now, the hydrolate has been considered a byproduct of the process used to obtain essential oils, and there are no studies on its ecotoxicity from any plant with biopesticide properties. Our results indicated that A. absinthium hydrolate caused acute toxicity for non-target organisms at dilutions as low as 0.2%. The sensitivity of the organisms, from the most to the least sensitive, was: Daphnia magna (LC

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