Chemical Composition of Essential Oil from Zhumeria majdae Rech. F. & Wendelbo and its Bioactivities Against Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Tenebrionidae) Larvae

Because of the problem of resistance and high residual levels by pesticides, the use of natural insecticides has long been touted as an attractive alternative to synthetic chemical insecticides. In this context, toxicity and biological effects of essential oil of Zhumeria majdae was evaluated against the larvae of Tribolium castaneum. Analysis of essential oil by GC-MS revealed that linalool (58.3 %) and camphor (25.9 %) were the main components and the essential oil had strong toxicity on Tribolium castaneum larvae with LC(50)of 13.77 % which was dose-dependent. Study on the effect of essential oil on energy macro molecules like protein, lipid and carbohydrate contents demonstrated a decreasing tendency. The activity of two detoxifying enzymes namely; esterase and glutathione S-transferase were investigated to study the involved metabolic mechanisms. Their activity level was increased in larvae when exposed to Z. majdae essential oil.