Oil and powder of spearmint as an alternative to sitophilus oryzae chemical control of wheat grains

Abstract

Stored product pests such as Sitophilus Oryzae are a major concern. Alternative and safe control methods for such pests are needed. Therefore, powder and essential oil of Mentha viridis plant were tested under laboratory conditions for their ability to protect wheat grains against the insect S. oryzae. The insect was reared and tested on whole wheat grains. The emergence and adult mortality of the insect S. oryzae were tested. The efficacy of these plant products was evaluated and compared with malathion. The standard compound for controlling S. oryzae has been malathion. The effect of botanical products and malathion on the germination of wheat grains was also evaluated. The chemical components of spearmint oil were also identified using GC-MS analysis. The results showed that, the oil and powder of M. viridis were effective against S. oryzae with the respect to adults mortality. Also, the oil and powdered products of M. viridis significantly reduced the emergence of S. oryzae compared to the control treatment. Spearmint oil and powder do not significantly affect wheat grains germination relative to the control treatment. The efficacy of spearmint against the tested insect was due to the presence of a mixture of bioactive compounds. The results suggested that, spearmint oil and powder are promising as alternatives to chemical control used against S. oryzae in wheat grains. Also, these spearmint products submit a solution of resistance development by insect due to the presence of a lot of bioactive components rather than the single insecticide.