Bioactivity of Artemisia vulgaris Essential Oil and Two of Its Constituents Against the Red Flour Beetle (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Abstract

Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) is one of the most destructive pests of stored products. Although there have been studies on the potential use of essential oils from plants in the Artemisia genus as insecticides, no comprehensive bioactivity data are available on the efficacy of Artemisia vulgaris L. (Asterales: Asteraceae) essential oil and its chemical constituents on stored-product pests. Therefore, in this study, the bioactivity of A. vulgaris essential oil and its chemical constituents, eugenol and terpinen-4-ol, against T. castaneum were determined by contact, fumigant, and repellent bioassays. Analysis of contact and fumigant bioassays showed that A. vulgaris essential oil, eugenol, and terpinen-4-ol have contact and fumigant toxicities against T. castaneum, of which terpinen-4-ol has a strong killing effect on larvae and adults, suggesting that terpinen-4-ol may be the main active component of A. vulgaris essential oil in contact and fumigant effects. Additionally, A. vulgaris essential oil and eugenol have higher repellent activity against T. castaneum larvae and adults, whereas the repellent activity of terpinen-4-ol is low, indicating that the main component of A. vulgaris essential oil in repellence may be eugenol. These results further provide relevant theoretical basis for the development of plant essential oil pesticides.