Exploring Ternary Essential Oil Mixtures of Moroccan Artemisia Species for Larvicidal Effectiveness Against Mosquitoes: A Mixture Design Approach.

Essential oils (EOs) have gained significant attention for their biopesticidal properties in pest management. This study investigates the insecticidal potential of EOs extracted from the aerial parts of three indigenous species-, , and -collected from various provenances in Morocco. The EOs were tested individually and in combination against () larvae to explore potential synergistic interactions using a mixture design methodology. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID) analyses revealed quantitative and qualitative variations in the chemical composition of the oils. The primary constituents of were identified as thujone (32.20% ± 2.65%), camphor (19.95% ± 2.64%), and chamazulene (19.58% ± 2.33%). In , thujone (52.05% ± 3.84%), camphor (10.71% ± 3.08%), and eucalyptol (4.79% ± 1.53%) were the major components, while comprised camphor (18.98% ± 2.65%), car-3-en-5-one (11.25% ± 2.33%), and thujone (6.63% ± 1.67%). When applied individually, all three EOs exhibited significant larvicidal activity against larvae, with showing the highest efficacy (LC 11.11 g/mL (5.45 ± 22.62)) compared to (LC: 16.98 g/mL (6.73 ± 27.39)) and (LC: 19.07 g/mL (13.57 ± 23.38)). In mixture experiments, the mixture design outcomes reveal that the ternary formulation comprising 58% , 26% , and 16% emerged as the most effective blend, achieving complete larval eradication. This study highlights the potential of EO combinations as a sustainable and effective alternative for managing mosquito vectors of disease.