Investigation of Phytochemical Composition, Acaricidal, and Repellent Efficacy of Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Zingiberaceae) Essential Oil Against Phytophagous Gall Mite Aceria pongamiae Keifer (Acarina: Eriophyidae)

The botanical essential oils (EOs) with their potent acaricidal properties serve as ecofriendly biopesticides for sustainable mite management in agriculture. This study provides a novel approach to the toxicity of Zingiber officinale Roscoe (ginger) (Zingiberaceae) EO (GEO) against eriophyid gall mite Aceria pongamiae , a serious pest of Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre, through fumigant and contact toxicity and repellent activity bioassays. GEO, obtained by hydrodistillation (1.72% ± 0.28% (v/w) yield), was analyzed by GC–MS/MS, revealing 22 constituents dominated by D‐limonene (27.18%), terpinen‐4‐ol (11.61%), α ‐zingiberene (9.82%), and citral isomers ( α ‐citral: 5.79% and β ‐citral: 5.15%). Bioassays demonstrated significant concentration‐ and time‐dependent acaricidal effects. In fumigation (0.25–1 µL mL −1 air), LC 50 reduced from 4.05 to 0.64 µL mL −1 air (24–72 h, respectively), and Cox regression confirmed GEO concentration as a strong predictor of mortality (hazard ratio (HR) = 4.92). Contact toxicity assay (2.50–10 µL mL −1 ) also showed a decreasing LC 50 , from 17.10 µL mL −1 at 24 h to 7.09 µL mL −1 at 72 h. Furthermore, GEO exhibited potent concentration‐dependent repellency, with efficacy rising from 38.35% at 0.025 µL mL −1 to 65.61% at 0.075 µL mL −1 . These findings validate GEO's efficacy as a potent fumigant, contact, and repellent for integrated management of A. pongamiae .