Chemical Composition and Bioactivity of the Essential Oils Derived from Artemisia Annua Against the Red Flour Beetle

Abstract

Tribolium casteneum is the most resistant stored grains pest causing more than 40% grains loss per year. Replacement of the conventional fumigants with an eco-friendly alternative seemed an intelligent move to control the pest which has inclined global research towards the efficacy of pesticidal plants. In the race of finding a better insecticidal candidate, we focused on to the chemical composition of the essential oils (EO) derived with polar and non-polar solvents from Artemisia annua and their possible bioactivity against the pest species. GC-MS analyses of Chloroform and n-Hexane derived EOs showed the dominance of Oxygenated Sesquiterpene in the extract. Adults were found more vulnerable to n-Hexane EO (LD50= 0.71 mg adultˉ1) than to chloroform derived EO (LD50= 0.97 mg adultˉ1) in contact toxicity assays. In the fumigant bioassay both the adults and larvae were found susceptible towards n-Hexane EO with LD50 0.66 & 0.53 mg L airˉ1 respectively. Evaluation of the biomolecular profile of adults and larvae at their lethal doses to understand the molecular mechanism underlying oxidative stress has shown significant downfall (p˂0.01) in the activities of protein, AChE, GST, GSH whereas up regulation of LPO was distinctly marked. The basic knowledge of employing potential solvent in eluting EOs of A. annua would prove to be an efficient environmental friendly management tool against T. casteneum.