Abstract
Purpose: To investigate the chemical composition and insecticidal activity of the essential oil of the aerial parts of Ainsliaea fragrans against maize weevils (Sitophilus zeamais).Methods: The essential oil of A. fragrans aerial parts was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromaotography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Contact toxicity of the essential oil and its major constituents was determined by topical application against S. zeamais.Results: A total of 30 components of the essential oil were identified. The major constituents were myristicin (41.3 %), elemicine (11.9 %), cis-isosafrole (11.5 %), borneol (9.1 %) and caryophyllene (8.8 %). The essential oil of A. fragrans exhibited contact toxicity against S. zeamais with LC50 value of 50.7 μg/adult. Elemicine possessed the strongest contact toxicity (LC50 = 13.5 μg/adult) while cis-isosafrole, myristicin, caryophyllene and borneol had LC50 values of 31.2 μg/adult, 43.4 μg/adult, 57.9 μg/adult, and 98.4 μg/adult, respectively.Conclusion: The study indicates that the essential oil of A. fragrans aerial parts and its major constituents have a potential for development into natural insecticides for the control of grain storage insects.Keywords: Ainsliaea fragrans, Sitophilus zeamais, Contact toxicity, Elemicine, Essential oil, Grain storage
Highlights
During the screening program for new agrochemicals from Chinese medicinal herbs and wild plants, the essential oil of Ainsliaea fragrans Champ. ex Benth. aerial parts was found to possess insecticidal toxicity against maize weevils (Sitophilus zeamais Motsch.)
The aqueous extract of A. fragrans aerial parts is widely applied in treating cervicitis, endometritis, and pelvic inflammation, and its clinical effects are significant in China [3]
Literature survey shows that there is no report on insecticidal activity of the essential oil derived from A. fragrans aerial parts
Summary
During the screening program for new agrochemicals from Chinese medicinal herbs and wild plants, the essential oil of Ainsliaea fragrans Champ. ex Benth. aerial parts was found to possess insecticidal toxicity against maize weevils (Sitophilus zeamais Motsch.). During the screening program for new agrochemicals from Chinese medicinal herbs and wild plants, the essential oil of Ainsliaea fragrans Champ. The aqueous extract of A. fragrans aerial parts is widely applied in treating cervicitis, endometritis, and pelvic inflammation, and its clinical effects are significant in China [3]. The chemical composition of the essential oils derived from A. fragrans has been determined [6,7]. Literature survey shows that there is no report on insecticidal activity of the essential oil derived from A. fragrans aerial parts. The objective of this study was to investigate the chemical constituents and insecticidal activity of the essential oil of A. fragrans aerial parts and its major constituents against maize weevils
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