Insecticidal activity of the essential oils from different plants against three stored-product insects
1Erciyes University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology, 38039, Kayseri, Turkey
2Erciyes University, Collage of Engineering, Food Engineering Department, 38039, Kayseri, Turkey
3Osmaniye Korkut Ata University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology, 80020,Osmaniye, Turkey
Abstract
This study was conducted to determine the insecticidal activity of essential oils from oregano, Origanum onites L. (Lamiales: Lamiaceae), savory, Satureja thymbra L. (Lamiales: Lamiaceae), and myrtle, Myrtus communis L. (Rosales: Myrtaceae) against three stored-product insects. Essential oils from three species of plants were obtained by Clevenger-type water distillation. The major compounds in these essential oils were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and their insecticidal activity was tested against adults of the Mediterranean flour moth Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), the Indian meal moth Plodia interpunctella Hübner (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and the bean weevil Acanthoscelides obtectus Say (Coleoptera: Bruchidae). While the major compound found in oregano and savory was carvacrol, the main constituent of the myrtle was linalool. Among the tested insects, A. obtectus was the most tolerant species against the essential oils. However, the insecticidal activity of the myrtle oil was more pronounced than other oils tested against A. obtectus adults. The essential oils of oregano and savory were highly effective against P. interpunctella and E. kuehniella, with 100% mortality obtained after 24 h at 9 and 25 µl/l air for P. interpunctella and E. kuehniella, respectively. LC50 and LC99 values of each essential oil were estimated for each insect species.
Keywords: Botanical based fumigants, stored product insect management, savory, myrtle, oregano
Correspondence: a*ayvaza@erciyes.edu.tr, bosagdic@erciyes.edu.tr, cskaraborklu@osmaniye.edu.tr, dismet@erciyes.edu.tr *Corresponding author
Received: 5 May 2008 | Accepted: 10 October 2008| Published: 16 March 2010
Copyright: This is an open access paper. We use the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license that permits unrestricted use, provided that the paper is properly attributed.
ISSN: 1536-2442 | Volume 10, Number 21
Ayvaz A, Sagdic O, Karaborklu S, Ozturk I. 2010. Insecticidal activity of the essential oils from different plants against three stored-product insects. 13pp. Journal of Insect Science 10:21, available online: insectscience.org/10.21
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