Premium
Chemical constituents and fumigant toxicity of essential oil from Carum copticum against two stored product beetles
Author(s) -
SAHAF BIBI ZAHRA,
MOHARRAMIPOUR SAEID,
MESHKATALSADAT MOHAMMAD HADI
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
insect science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.991
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1744-7917
pISSN - 1672-9609
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7917.2007.00146.x
Subject(s) - sitophilus , thymol , biology , essential oil , apiaceae , gas chromatography , botany , gas chromatography–mass spectrometry , toxicology , food science , chemistry , chromatography , mass spectrometry
Plant secondary metabolites play an important role in plant‐insect interactions and therefore such compounds may have insecticidal or antifeedant activity against insects. Carum copticum C. B. Clarke (Apiaceae) is one of these plants that have medicinal effects on humans. The chemical composition of the essential oil from dry seeds of C. copticum was studied by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). Thymol (41.34%), α‐terpinolene (17.46%) and ρ‐cymene (11.76%) were found to be the major constituents of the oil. In fumigant toxicity tests with the essential oil against adults of Sitophilus oryzae (L.) and Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) at 27 ± 1°C and 60%± 5% RH, it was observed that S. oryzae (LC 50 = 0.91 μL/L) were significantly susceptible than T. castaneum (LC 50 = 33.14 μL/L). The mortalities of the insect species reached 100% at concentrations higher than 185.2 μL/L and 12‐h exposure time. The findings indicate the strong insecticidal activity of C. copticum oil and its potential role as a fumigant for stored‐product insects.