The search for new plant growth regulators is a cornerstone of agricultural research; however, laboratory studies rarely go on to be evaluated in the field. This is because greater production is required, as well as longer studies. Particularly, brassinosteroids present these difficulties, and although they have been evaluated in crops with good results, their high production cost gives rise to the search for new alternatives. 22-Oxocholestanes such as SPGP4, previously used in silico and in vitro studies, have shown great potential, so their evaluation in crops grown from native seeds from the study region becomes of interest. Based on these data, SPGP4 was evaluated under crop conditions in three agricultural plots located on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec region, Oaxaca, México. The seeds were treated with a 0.5 mg/L aqueous solution of the 22-Oxocholestane compound SPGP4 by imbibition one night before sown. Later, 45 days after sowing, a solution of 0.5 mg/L at a rate of 200 L per hectare was applied. At the production level, the bean harvest showed an increase in the range of 21.0–38.1%, and the corn harvest increased between 22 and 32%. In addition, the latter also demonstrated an increase in biomass production, given the increase in diameter and height observed in the corn plant. This indicates that SPGP4 functions as a regulator of plant growth at the crop level to increase both seed and biomass production.

Spodoptera frugiperda is a polyphagous pest of global significance, causing substantial yield losses in maize and other staple crops, which has intensified the search for sustainable alternatives to synthetic insecticides. The Asteraceae family has emerged as a promising source of botanical insecticides, but a comprehensive synthesis of its true potential including biological efficacy, chemical basis and acute oral toxicity in mammalian models remains lacking. This review critically examines the biological activity of Asteraceae extracts against S. frugiperda from the 2021 to 2026 period and their phytochemical profiles and acute oral toxicity in mammals. Our analysis reveals three major findings. First, essential oils exhibit the highest insecticidal potency, but they also present the most concerning mammalian acute oral toxicity profiles. Second, although 57 major constituents—including terpenoids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and fatty acid derivatives— have been identified, fewer than 13% have been individually evaluated against this pest, introducing substantial uncertainty in attributing activity to specific compounds. Third, most mammalian toxicity studies report only limited LD₅₀ thresholds (e.g., >2000 mg kg⁻¹ BW), preventing accurate GHS classification and regulatory positioning. Therefore, realising the potential of Asteraceae based insecticides requires not only the discovery of bioactive extracts but also rigorous, integrated toxicity and phytochemical characterisation.

En México, los bosques ocupan una superficie de 66 millones de Ha. Los bosques templados como los que se encuentran en la zona centro del país están conformados por diversas especies de pinos (Pinus spp.) y encinos (Quercus spp.). Estos bosques están expuestos a la presencia de plagas y enfermedades, una de las más importantes es el escarabajo descortezador. Las especies más dañinas en la zona son Dendroctonus mexicanus Hopkins, y D. frontalis, Zimmerman (Coleóptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae). Una alternativa para su control es el uso de hongos entomopatógenos, como Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff), por su efectividad en plagas agrícolas y forestales, ya que ocasiona micosis con niveles altos de mortalidad; además de ser amigable con el ambiente. Algunos estudios demuestran que el uso de este microorganismo produce hasta un 80% de mortalidad causado por su alta virulencia. Ayuda a controlar la plaga ya que interviene en el ciclo de vida del insecto y hace que deje de alimentarse, sin embargo, su uso en descortezadores no está muy difundido en México. A través de esta revisión se explora la morfología y biología de los insectos descortezadores con énfasis en D. mexicanus y su estatus en México, así como del hongo entomopatógeno Metarhizium anisopliae y su uso como alternativa para el control del descortezador en nuestro país.