Repellent and insecticidal activity of four essential oils from plants recolleted in Chocó- Colombia against Tribolium castaneum

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the repellent and insecticidal activity of four essential oils (EOs) from plants collected in the Chocó rain forest, Colombia, against T. castaneum. Conventional hydrodistillation was used to obtain the EOs. The repellent and insecticidal activities were evaluated by the preference area and gas dispersion methods, respectively. Statistical differences (p<0.05) were determined by applying a student’s t-test. EOs of Siparuna guianensis, S. conica, Piper marginatum, and Nectandra acutifolia showed excellent repellent properties as the main findings, highlighting S. conica EO with 84% repellency (1 µL/cm2), while P. marginatum showed to be bioactive to the dose of 500 µL/mL (72 h), inducing mortality of 100% of the exposed population. In conclusion, the results evidenced the repellent properties of the EOs evaluated against T. castaneum, which allows us to conclude that these plant species are potential natural sources producing bio-repellents that contribute to the integrated control of T. castaneum.