Toxicological Activity of Some Plant Essential Oils Against Tribolium castaneum and Culex pipiens Larvae

Abstract

In the present work, essential oils (EOs) from Schinus terebinthifolius (ripe and unripe fruits and leaves), Origanum majorana (air-dried aerial parts), and Psidium guajava (leaves) were assayed for their insecticidal activity against red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) and Culex mosquito larvae (Culex pipiens). Several components were identified in the EOs using Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS), of which Δ-3-carene (25.9%), γ-terpinene (19.4), and γ-elemene (7.1%) were the major ones in S. terebinthifolius ripe fruits, α-pinene (48.9%), germacrene D (12.9%), and α-thujene (7.7%) in S. terebinthifolius unripe fruits, γ-elemene (11.7%), spathulenol (10.1%), β-elemene (9.2%), and p-cymene (9.1%) in S. terebinthifolius leaves, α-pinene (25.5%), (E)-caryophyllene (15.7%), (E)-nerolidol (16.7%), and cedran-8-ol (8.8%) in P. guajava leaves, and terpinen-4-ol (21.7%), γ-terpinene (16.5%), and sabinene (10.1%) in O. majorana air-dried aerial parts. The lethal concentration (LC50) was calculated for tested EOs at different time periods (after 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h). After 6 h of treatment, the LC50 was 33.3 and 6.8 µg/L air for S. terebinthifolius ripe and unripe fruits, respectively, and >40 µg/L air for EOs of S. terebinthifolius leaves, O. majoranaair-dried aerial parts, and P. guajava leaves. After 24 h of treatment, the LC50 was 4.2, <2, 5, >40, and 6.1 µg/L air for EOs of S. terebinthifolius ripe fruits and leaves, O. majorana leaves, and P. guajava leaves, respectively. On the other hand, the LC50 values decreased when the exposed period was increased to 72 h, and were <2 µg/L air for EOs of S. terebinthifolius ripe fruits, unripe fruits, and leaves along with P. guajava leaves, respectively, and 37.912 for EO of O. majorana leaves. The LC50 value after 24 h of exposure of S. terebinthifolius unripe fruit EO was under 2 µg/L air, which means that the EO of S. terebinthifolius ripe fruit had a strong effect on adult T. castaneum adults compared to other tested EOs using the fumigation method. The present data confirm that the EOs of O. majorana leaves and S. terebinthifolius unripe fruits and leaves were more effective as larvicide than the EOs of S. terebinthifolius ripe fruits and P. guajava leaves on C. pipiens at a higher concentration (100 mg/L) when applied by the dipping method. EOs from S. terebinthifolius unripe or ripe fruits and leaves and P. guajava leaves were more effective as adulticide than EO of O. majorana leaves against T. castaneum when applied by the fumigant method.