Fumigant toxicity and repellency of some essential oils against Callosobruchus maculatus (Col.: Bruchidae)

Chemical composition and insecticidal activity and repellency of essential oils from Ferula gummosa Boiss., Cuminum cyminum L., Carum carvi L. and Pelargonium roseum Willd. against the adults of Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) were studied. The gas chromatograph/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), bioassays, and olfactometer were respectively used to identify the components and determine the fumigant toxicity (in 50 mL vials containing 20 adult insects) and repellency of the essential oils. The main compounds of the essential oils were β-pinene (35.2%), α-pinene (9.4%), ρ-cymene (8.5%), and terpinene-4-ol (8.5%) for F. gummosa, cuminaldehyde (46.6%), ρ-cymene (18.4), γ-terpinene (12.2%) and α-terpinene-7-al (8.1%) for C. cyminum, carvone (46.2%), ρ-cymene (14.0%) and γ-terpinene (8.3%) for C. carvi, and β-citronellol (47.3%) and citronellyl formate (13.2%) for P. roseum. The fumigant toxicity of C. carvi and C. cyminum essential oils against C. maculatus was higher than the other two essential oils, and the repellent activity was observed for all essential oils tested against this pest. The repellency percentage of P. roseum, F. gummosa, C. cyminum and C. carvi essential oils was calculated as 41.66, 64.70, 70.17, and 66.29%, respectively. The results indicated that these essential oils could be considered as an effective alternative to control C. maculatus and possibly other storage coleopteran pests.