Contact toxicity and repellency of the main components from the essential oil of Clausena anisum-olens against two stored product insects

Abstract

The essential oil of Clausena anisum-olens (Blanco) Merr. showed strong contact toxicity and repellency against Lasioderma serricorne and Liposcelis bostrychophila adults. The components of the essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. It was found that the main components were myristicin (36.87%), terpinolene (13.26%), p-cymene-8-ol (12.38%), and 3-carene (3.88%). Myristicin and p-cymene-8-ol were separated by silica gel column chromatography, and their molecular structures were confirmed by means of physicochemical and spectrometric analysis. Myristicin and p-cymene-8-ol showed strong contact toxicity against L. serricorne (LD50 = 18.96 and 39.68 lg per adult) and Li. bostrychophila (LD50 = 20.41 and 35.66 lg per adult). The essential oil acting against the two grain storage insects showed LD50 values of 12.44 and 74.46 lg per adult, respectively. Myristicin and p-cymene-8-ol have strong repellent toxicity to Li. bostrychophila.