Chemical profile and repellent effects of two essential oils on Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val, 1863 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Abstract

The confused flour beetle (Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val; Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) is one of the most common pests of stored food products worldwide. Synthetic insecticides are commonly used to control this pest; however, their long-term application poses health risks and environmental concerns. The aim of this study was to evaluate the repellent activity of essential oils (EOs) from Lavandula angustifolia Miller and Origanum vulgare L. (Lamiaceae) against T. confusum. In this study, EOs from L. angustifolia and O. vulgare were extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The repellent activity of the oils against T. confusum adults was evaluated using a two-choice bioassay. The data were statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s HSD test (P<0.05). The EO of O. vulgare was rich in carvacrol (96.7%), with minor components including thymene (2.01%), thymol (0.72%), and endo-borneol (0.53%). In contrast, L. angustifolia EO contained linalyl acetate (24.02%), linalool (15.79%), (+)-2-bornanone (10.74%), and eucalyptol (8.34%). Repellency was significantly higher in O. vulgare EO compared to L. angustifolia EO. Repellency was tested at concentrations of 1%, 2%, 4%, and 8% using a two-choice filter paper assay. The repellent activity of both oils increased significantly with concentration (P<0.05). O. vulgare EO showed the highest repellency, reaching 70% at 8% concentration after 1 hour of exposure. In contrast, L. angustifolia EO achieved a maximum repellency of 52% at the same concentration. At lower concentrations (1-2%), both oils showed limited efficacy. The results demonstrate that O. vulgare EO has promising repellent activity and could be considered a potential botanical insecticide for integrated pest management (IPM) of T. confusum.

Keywords

• Lavandula angustifolia
• Origanum vulgare
• GC-MS
• Repellency

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