Repellent activity of essential oils from native plants and their blend for Tribolium castaneum control in store grains

SARAN, A; FERNANDEZ, L; MINING, M; BELLOZAS, M; MERINI, LJ

Semiarida

Universidad Nacional de La Pampa

Lugar: Santa Rosa; Año: 2019 vol. 29 p. 43 - 51

2362-4337

The essential oils (EOs) from 5 native aromatic plants from La Pampa, Argentina, were obtained by hydrodistillation and tested for repellency on Tribolium castaneum Herbst. adults. All tested EOs showedhigh repellency activity at the highest concentration established (0.3 mg.cm­2). The EOs from Baccharis spartioides and Helianthus petiolaris were the most efficient, showing higher repellency when comparedto the standard positive control (DEET). At 3x10­1 mg.cm­2, B. spartioides and H. petiolaris showed 95% and 92.2% of repellency respectively. The EOs chemical composition was then analyzed by Gaschromatography?mass spectrometry (GC­MS) and the first report of H. petiolaris EO composition is presented. Finally, in order to assess repellency activity in simulated ?field conditions?, pest behavior wasevaluated in treated flour. In presence of H. petiolaris EO, 90% of the insects left the grain, while B. spartioides induced an 81% of emigration. To maximize the yields in repellent production, a blend usingcommercial lemon EO was proposed. The results obtained show a significant difference after 24 h of treatment, were the repellency of the blend persisted in contrast with pure EOs. These findings presentthe B. spartioides and H. petiolaris EOs blends as promising alternatives to control T. castaneum in stored grains.