The roots of Echinops latifolius Tausch (Asteraceae) have been used in the traditional medicine. However, no report on chemical composition and insecticidal activities of the essential oil of this plant exists. The aim of this research was to determine chemical composition and insecticidal activities of the essential oil of E. latifolius aerial parts against maize weevils (Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky) for the first time. Essential oil of E. latifolius aerial parts at flowering stage was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of 35 components of the essential oil of E. latifolius aerial parts were identified. The major compounds in the essential oil were 1,8-cineole (19.63%), (Z)- -ocimene (18.44%), and -pinene (15.56%) followed by -myrcene (4.75%) and carvone (4.39%). The essential oil of E. latifolius possessed contact toxicity against S. zeamais with an LD50 value of 36.40？μg/adult. The essential oil also exhibited fumigant toxicity against S. zeamais with an LC50 value of 9.98？mg/L. The study indicates that the essential oil of E. latifolius aerial parts has a potential for development into a natural insecticide/fumigant for control of insects in stored grains. 1. Introduction Insects and fungi create serious quality problems in stored grains. The maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky) is one of the major pests of stored grains and grain products in China, causing serious losses in stored products [1]. The only way to eliminate pests completely from a food grain without leaving pesticide residues is fumigation [2]. Currently, there are only two commonly used fumigants for stored food, methyl bromide (MeBr) and phosphine, which have led to the resurgence of pests. In addition to the resistance developed by the insect pests, chemical application has also exerted undesirable effects on nontarget organisms and fostered environmental and human health concerns [3]. This necessitates the development of natural and safe products that are relatively less hazardous to mammalian health and the environment than existing conventional pesticides, as alternatives to nonselective synthetic pesticides to control the pests of medical and economic importance [4]. Essential oils or their constituents have demonstrated to be potential sources of alternative compounds to currently used fumigants. Essential oils and their constituents have low toxicity to warm-blooded animals, high volatility, and toxicity to stored-grain insect pests [5, 6]. During the screening program for new agrochemicals from
References
[1]
Z. L. Liu and S. H. Ho, “Bioactivity of the essential oil extracted from Evodia rutaecarpa Hook f. et Thomas against the grain storage insects, Sitophilus zeamais Motsch. and Tribolium castaneum (Herbst),” Journal of Stored Products Research, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 317–328, 1999.
[2]
J. L. Zettler and F. H. Arthur, “Chemical control of stored product insects with fumigants and residual treatments,” Crop Protection, vol. 19, no. 8, pp. 577–582, 2000.
[3]
M. B. Isman, “Plant essential oils for pest and disease management,” Crop Protection, vol. 19, no. 8, pp. 603–608, 2000.
[4]
M. B. Isman, “Botanical insecticides, deterrents, and repellents in modern agriculture and an increasingly regulated world,” Annual Review of Entomology, vol. 51, pp. 45–66, 2006.
[5]
S. Rajendran and V. Sriranjini, “Plant products as fumigants for stored-product insect control,” Journal of Stored Products Research, vol. 44, no. 2, pp. 126–135, 2008.
[6]
C. Regnault-Roger, C. Vincent, and J. T. Arnason, “Essential oils in insect control: low-risk products in a high-stakes world,” Annual Review of Entomology, vol. 57, pp. 405–424, 2012.
[7]
Y. L. Chen and C. Shih, “Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae,” Science Press, vol. 78, no. 1, pp. 10–11, 1987, http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=250097326.
[8]
National Pharmacopoeia Committee, Pharmacopoeia of People's Republic of China, Chemical Industry Press, Beijing, China, 2000.
[9]
Y. Wang, X. Li, D. L. Meng, N. Li, and Y. W. Zhang, “Chemical constituents of thiophenes from Echinops latifolius Tausch,” Journal of Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 194–196, 2008.
[10]
Y. Wang, X. Li, L. Li, D. Meng, Z. Li, and N. Li, “Two new thiophenes from Echinops latifolius and their phototoxic activities,” Planta Medica, vol. 73, no. 7, pp. 696–698, 2007.
[11]
Y. W. Zhang, X. Li, D. L. Meng, and Y. Wang, “Chemical constituents from stem and leaves of Echinops latifolius,” Journal of Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 23–25, 2007.
[12]
Y. Wang, X. Li, D.-L. Meng, Z.-L. Li, P. Zhang, and J. Xu, “Thiophenes from Echinops latifolius,” Journal of Asian Natural Products Research, vol. 8, no. 7, pp. 585–588, 2006.
[13]
W. Q. Li, C. H. Jiang, S. S. Chu, M. X. Zuo, and Z. L. Liu, “Chemical composition and toxicity against Sitophilus zeamais and Tribolium castaneum of the essential oil of Murraya exotica aerial parts,” Molecules, vol. 15, no. 8, pp. 5831–5839, 2010.
[14]
R. P. Adams, Identification of Essential Oil Components by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry, Allured, Carol Stream, Ill, USA, 2007.
[15]
Z. L. Liu, S. H. Goh, and S. H. Ho, “Screening of Chinese medicinal herbs for bioactivity against Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky and Tribolium castaneum (Herbst),” Journal of Stored Products Research, vol. 43, no. 3, pp. 290–296, 2007.
[16]
M. Sakuma, “Probit analysis of preference data,” Applied Entomology and Zoology, vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 339–347, 1998.
[17]
D. A. Guo, Z. C. Lou, and Z. A. Liu, “Chemical components of volatile oil from Echinops grijisii Hance,” China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 100–101, 1994.
[18]
N. S. Radulovic and M. S. Denic, “Essential oils from the roots of Echinops bannaticus Rochel ex Schrad. and Echinops sphaerocephalus L., (Asteraceae): chemotaxonomic and biosynthetic aspects,” Chemistry and Biodiversity, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 658–676, 2013.
[19]
C. Menut, G. Lamaty, P. Weyerstahl, H. Marschall, I. Seelmann, and P. H. A. Zollo, “Aromatic plants of Tropical Central Africa. Part I. Tricyclic sesquiterpenes from the root essential oil of Echinops giganteus var. lelyi C. D. Adams,” Flavour and Fragrance Journal, vol. 12, no. 6, pp. 415–421, 1997.
[20]
A. Hymete, J. Rohloff, and T. H. Iversen, “Chemical constituents of volatile fractions from Echinops ellenbeckii O. Hoffm,” Journal of Essential Oil-Bearing Plants, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 9–15, 2004.
[21]
P. Papadopoulou, M. Couladis, and O. Tzakou, “Essential oil composition of two greek Echinops species: E. graecus miller and E. ritro L,” Journal of Essential Oil Research, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 242–243, 2006.
[22]
A. Hymete, J. Rohloff, T. Iversen, and H. Kj？sen, “Volatile constituents of the roots of Echinops kebericho mesfin,” Flavour and Fragrance Journal, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 35–38, 2007.
[23]
Y. Tariku, A. Hymete, A. Hailu, and J. Rohloff, “In vitro evaluation of antileishmanial activity and toxicity of essential oils of Artemisia absinthium and Echinops kebericho,” Chemistry and Biodiversity, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 614–623, 2011.
[24]
Z. L. Liu, Q. R. Liu, S. S. Chu, and G. H. Jiang, “Insecticidal activity and chemical composition of the essential oils of Artemisia lavandulaefolia and Artemisia sieversiana from China,” Chemistry and Biodiversity, vol. 7, no. 8, pp. 2040–2045, 2010.
[25]
Z. L. Liu, S. S. Chu, and Q. R. Liu, “Chemical composition and insecticidal activity against Sitophilus zeamais of the essential oils of artemisia capillaries and artemisia mongolica,” Molecules, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 2600–2608, 2010.
[26]
S. S. Chu, Q. R. Liu, and Z. L. Liu, “Insecticidal activity and chemical composition of the essential oil of Artemisia vestita from China against Sitophilus zeamais,” Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 489–492, 2010.
[27]
G. H. Jiang, Q. R. Liu, S. S. Chu, and Z. L. Liu, “Chemical composition and insecticidal activity of the essential oil of Artemisia eriopoda against maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais,” Natural Product Communications, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 267–268, 2012.
[28]
Z. L. Liu, S. S. Chu, and G. H. Jiang, “Toxicity of Schizonpeta multifida essential oil and its constituent compounds towards two grain storage insects,” Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, vol. 91, no. 5, pp. 905–909, 2011.
[29]
S. S. Chu, S. L. Liu, Q. Z. Liu, G. H. Jiang, and Z. L. Liu, “Chemical composition and insecticidal activities of the essential oil of Aster ageratoides flowering aerial parts,” Journal of the Serbian Chemical Society, vol. 78, no. 2, pp. 209–216, 2013.
[30]
S. S. Chu, S. L. Liu, G. H. Jiang, and Z. L. Liu, “Composition and toxicity of essential oil of Illicium simonsii maxim (Illiciaceae) fruit against the maize weevils,” Records of Natural Products, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 205–210, 2010.
[31]
Z. L. Liu, K. Yang, F. Huang, Q. Z. Liu, L. Zhou, and S. S. Du, “Chemical composition and toxicity of the essential oil of Cayratia japonica against two grain storage insects,” Journal of Essential Oil Research, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 237–240, 2012.
[32]
H. Q. Li, C. Q. Bai, S. S. Chu et al., “Chemical composition and toxicities of the essential oil derived from Kadsura heteroclita stems against Sitophilus zeamais and Meloidogyne incognita,” Journal of Medicinal Plant Research, vol. 5, no. 19, pp. 4943–4948, 2011.
[33]
S. S. Chu, G. H. Jiang, and Z. L. Liu, “Chemical composition and insecticidal activity of the essential oil of Ostericum grosseserratum (Maxim.) Kitag,” Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 99–103, 2013.
[34]
S. S. Chu, S. L. Liu, G. H. Jiang, and Z. L. Liu, “GC-MS analysis of insecticidal essential oil of flowering aerial parts of Saussurea nivea Turcz,” DARU Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, vol. 20, no. 1, article 14, 2012.
[35]
P. Liu, X. C. Liu, H. W. Dong, Z. L. Liu, S. S. Du, and Z. W. Deng, “Chemical composition and insecticidal activity of the essential oil of Illicium pachyphyllum fruits against two grain storage insects,” Molecules, vol. 17, no. 12, pp. 14870–14881, 2012.
[36]
J. L. Wang, Y. Li, and C. L. Lei, “Evaluation of monoterpenes for the control of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) and Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky,” Natural Product Research, vol. 23, no. 12, pp. 1080–1088, 2009.
[37]
D. Suthisut, P. G. Fields, and A. Chandrapatya, “Contact toxicity, feeding reduction, and repellency of essential oils from three plants from the ginger family (zingiberaceae) and their major components against Sitophilus zeamais and Tribolium castaneum,” Journal of Economic Entomology, vol. 104, no. 4, pp. 1445–1454, 2011.
[38]
S. S. Chu, S. S. Du, and Z. L. Liu, “Fumigant compounds from the essential oil of Chinese Blumea balsamifera leaves against the maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais),” Journal of Chemistry, vol. 2013, Article ID 289874, 7 pages, 2013.
[39]
J. O. Ogendo, M. Kostyukovsky, U. Ravid et al., “Bioactivity of Ocimum gratissimum L. oil and two of its constituents against five insect pests attacking stored food products,” Journal of Stored Products Research, vol. 44, no. 4, pp. 328–334, 2008.
[40]
Z. L. Liu and S. S. Du, “Fumigant components from the essential oil of Evodia rutaecarpa hort unripe fruits,” E-Journal of Chemistry, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 1937–1943, 2011.
[41]
B. Lee, P. C. Annis, F. Tumaalii, and W. Choi, “Fumigant toxicity of essential oils from the Myrtaceae family and 1,8-cineole against 3 major stored-grain insects,” Journal of Stored Products Research, vol. 40, no. 5, pp. 553–564, 2004.
[42]
D. Suthisut, P. G. Fields, and A. Chandrapatya, “Fumigant toxicity of essential oils from three Thai plants (Zingiberaceae) and their major compounds against Sitophilus zeamais, Tribolium castaneum and two parasitoids,” Journal of Stored Products Research, vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 222–230, 2011.
[43]
A. K. Tripathi, V. Prajapati, K. K. Aggarwal, and S. Kumar, “Toxicity, feeding deterrence, and effect of activity of 1,8-cineole from Artemisia annua on progeny production of Tribolium castanaeum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae),” Journal of Economic Entomology, vol. 94, no. 4, pp. 979–983, 2001.
[44]
W. Jung, Y. U. Jang, T. T. Hieu, C. Lee, and Y. Ahn, “Toxicity of Myristica fragrans seed compounds against Blattella germanica (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae),” Journal of Medical Entomology, vol. 44, no. 3, pp. 524–529, 2007.
[45]
S. Kordali, I. Aslan, O. Calmasur, and A. Cakir, “Toxicity of essential oils isolated from three Artemisia species and some of their major components to granary weevil, Sitophilus granarius (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae),” Industrial Crops and Products, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 162–170, 2006.
[46]
H. Kouninki, T. Hance, F. A. Noudjou et al., “Toxicity of some terpenoids of essential oils of Xylopia aethiopica from Cameroon against Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky,” Journal of Applied Entomology, vol. 131, no. 4, pp. 269–274, 2007.
