The Effects of Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Salvia officinalis L. (Lamiaceae) Essential Oils on Demographic Parameters of Habrobracon hebetor Say (Hym.: Braconidae) on Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lep.: Pyralidae) Larvae

Abstract

Essential oils are volatile botanical compounds with strong odor that are characterized as plant secondary metabolites. In this research, the effects of Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Salvia officinalis L. (Lamiaceae) essential oils are investigated on demographic parameters of H. hebetor. The gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) analysis indicates that α-pinene (9.99%) and β-thujone (25.63%) are major constituents of mentioned essential oils, respectively. The bioassay results show that LC50 values for R. officinalis and S. officinalis essential oils are 4.15 and 18.36 μl/liter air, respectively; that, R. officinalis essential oil show high acute toxicity on the female wasps of H. hebetor compared with S. officinalis essential oil. Then, the demographic parameters of this parasitoid wasp are investigated by LC30 treatment of essential oils that are 2.48 and 6.30 μl/liter air for mentioned essential oils, respectively. The sublethal results show that adult longevity, daily and total fecundity and fertility, gross and net reproductive rates, intrinsic rate of increase, finite rate of increase, mean generation time, doubling time, survival rate, probabilities of survival and death in one age to next age, death rate, cohort survival rate and life expectancy are affected negatively by the tested essential oils. Finally, the rm values in the control, R. officinalis and S. officinalis essential oils are obtained 0.274, 0.133 and 0.217 day-1, respectively. This research indicate that S. officinalis essential oil has less toxicity on H. hebetor and recommends as a compatible botanical compound with this biocontrol agent in integrated pest management programs.