Abstract
Mentha leaf essential oil extracted from dried and powdered menthe leaves was subjected to column chromatography to obtain its fractions. Three compounds namely pulegone, menthol, p-cymene were isolated from polar fraction. Menthol was chemically transformed to menthone using pyridinium chlorochromate. All the compounds were identified by spectroscopic techniques. Mentha leaf essential oil (pure) was tested for its insecticidal activity at five different concentrations in the range 50–500 μg g−1 respectively against F1 generation of red rust flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum Herbst.) adults. Maximum inhibition was observed at 500 μg g−1. The activity was both time and concentration dependent. The fractions of mentha leaf essential oil and the compounds isolated were tested at 250 μg g−1 concentration. Polar fraction was more active as compared to the non-polar fraction. Adults of the beetle were more susceptible to menthone as complete corrected per cent mortality was observed on 22nd d in menthone as compared to 25 d for menthol. The results indicated that mentha leaf essential oil may have potential to control infestation of wheat by T. castaneum.
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