2, 3-Dimethylmaleic anhydride (3, 4-Dimethyl-2, 5-furandione): A plant derived insecticidal molecule from Colocasia esculenta var. esculenta (L.) Schott.

Yallappa Rajashekar,Ngaihlun Tonsing,Javagal R Manjunath,Tourangbam Shantibala

doi:10.1038/srep20546

Abstract

The phasing out of methyl bromide as a fumigant, resistance problems with phosphine and other fumigants in stored product beetles, and serious concern with human health and environmental safety have triggered the search for alternative biofumigants of plant origin. Despite the identification of a large number of plants that show insecticidal activity, and the diversity of natural products with inherent eco-friendly nature, newer biofumigants of plant origin have eluded discovery. Using a bioassay driven protocol, we have now isolated a bioactive molecule from the root stock of Colocasia esculenta (L.) and characterized it as 2, 3-dimethylmaleic anhydride (3, 4-dimethyl-2, 5-furandione) based on various physico-chemical and spectroscopic techniques (IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and Mass). The molecule proved to be an efficient biofumigant which is highly toxic to insect pests for stored grains even at very low concentration, but has no adverse effect on seed germination. We finally address the potential for this molecule to become a, effective biofumigant.

Highlights

Since the advent of agriculture, plants have been used for insect pest control and grain protection[1,2,3,4]
The volatile molecule 2, 3-Dimethylmaleic anhydride isolated from the root stock of C. esculenta was found to be toxic to a variety of insect species when it is used as fumigant
Earlier our studies on Coumaran, a biofumigant molecule isolated from Lantana camara, identified it to be toxic to adults of S. oryzae, C. chinensis and T. castaneum with LC50 values 0.45, 0.38 and 0.27 μ g/l respectively on 24 h exposure period[5]

Summary

Introduction

Since the advent of agriculture, plants have been used for insect pest control and grain protection[1,2,3,4]. Due to the problem of resistance to insecticides, there is an urgent need for safer alternatives to conventional chemical insecticides for the control of stored-product insect pests, from natural sources. In this scenario, there is an urgent need to develop newer plant derived eco-friendly potent biofumigants[9]. Due to lack of fumigant toxicity to the insects, commercialization of the product was not successful though it finds use in integrated pest management[12,13,14] Another compound Rotenone, one of the earliest plant-derived insecticides isolated from the Derris root, was found effective. The present study aims to explore the possible use of C. esculenta against various stored grain and household pests

Methods

Results

Conclusion