Fumigant activity of plant essential oils and components from horseradish (Armoracia rusticana), anise (Pimpinella anisum) and garlic (Allium sativum) oils against Lycoriella ingenua (Diptera: Sciaridae)

Abstract

Plant essential oils from 40 plant species were tested for their insecticidal activities against larvae of Lycoriella ingénue (Dufour) using a fumigation bioassay. Good insecticidal activity against larvae of L. ingenua was achieved with essential oils of Chenopodium ambrosioides L., Eucalyptus globulus Labill, Eucalyptus smithii RT Baker, horseradish, anise and garlic at 10 and 5 µL L⁻¹ air. Horseradish, anise and garlic oils showed the most potent insecticidal activities among the plant essential oils. At 1.25 µL L⁻¹, horseradish, anise and garlic oils caused 100, 93.3 and 13.3% mortality, but at 0.625 µL L⁻¹ air this decreased to 3.3, 0 and 0% respectively. Analysis by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry led to the identification of one major compound from horseradish, and three each from anise and garlic oils. These seven compounds and m‐anisaldehyde and o‐anisaldehyde, two positional isomers of p‐anisaldehyde, were tested individually for their insecticidal activities against larvae of L. ingenua. Allyl isothiocyanate was the most toxic, followed by trans‐anethole, diallyl disulfide and p‐anisaldehyde with LC₅₀ values of 0.15, 0.20, 0.87 and 1.47 µL L⁻¹ respectively. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry