Composition and Insecticidal Activity of the Essential Oil of Lindera aggregata Root Tubers against Sitophilus zeamais and Tribolium castaneum

AbstractThe essential oil from the root tubers of Lindera aggregata was analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. Thirty-five compounds were identified and the main components of the essential oil were α-longifolene (15.13%), bornyl acetate (11.49%) followed by α-eudesmol (9.14%), α-pinene (7.88%), β-phellandrene (6.31%), β-terpinene (5.67%) and α-terpeninol (5.11%). During the screening program for new agrochemicals from Chinese medicinal herbs and wild plants, essential oil of L. aggregata was found to possess insecticidal activity against two grain storage insects, Sitophilus zeamais and Tribolium castaneum. The essential oil of L. aggregata possessed contact toxicity against S. zeamais and T. castaneum adults with LC50 values of 61.65 and 18.47 μg/adult, respectively. The oil also showed pronounced fumigant toxicity against S. zeamais and T. castaneum (LC50 = 23.04 and 14.69 mg/L air, respectively).