Chemical Composition and Fumigant Activities of Essential Oils from Piper hancei Maxim against Tribolium castaneum (Herbst).

Abstract

The present study aimed to analyze the chemical composition and fumigant toxicity of essential oils (EOs) isolated by hydrodistillation from Piper hancei Maxim. EOs extracted from the dry stems and leaves of P. hancei were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The main compositions of the EOs were humulene (13.624 %), caryophyllene (13.319 %), nerolidol (12.507 %), naphthalene (8.525 %), ledol (6.694 %), caryophyllene oxide (6.404 %), and junenol (6.350 %). The fumigant toxicity of the EOs was tested in 7-14 day old adults of Tribolium castaneum. The LC50 of EOs and individual main compositions were calculated according to the mortality of insects at concentrations of 0, 16, 32, 64, 128, and 256 (μL/L air). The results showed that the EOs (LC50=322.52 (48 h) and 145.82 (72 h) (μL/L air)), caryophyllene (LC50=37.95 (48 h) and 26.53 (72 h) (μL/L air)), junenol (LC50=38.32 (48 h) and 20.33 (72 h) (μL/L air)), caryophyllene oxide (LC50=97.72 (48 h) and 65.22 (72 h) (μL/L air)), and humulene (LC50=104.50 (48 h) and 73.66 (72 h) (μL/L air)) have obvious fumigant activities against T. castaneum adults. The chemical composition of EOs from P. hancei was reported for the first time. The results indicated that the EOs of P. hancei had the potential to be developed as a natural insecticide for the control of T. castaneum adults.