Chemical composition and insecticidal activities of the essential oil of Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt. aerial parts against two stored product insects

The chemical composition of the essential oil of Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt. aerial parts and its insecticidal activity against Tribolium castaneum and Lasioderma serricorne were investigated. The essential oil of P. frutescens was obtained by hydrodistillation and a total of 34 components in the essential oil were identified with GC–MS. It was found that the main compounds included 2-furyl methyl ketone (71.83 %), decahydro-1-methyl-2-methylene-naphthalene (10.47 %), limonene (5.16 %) and caryophyllene (1.66 %). With a further isolation, the two active constituents were obtained from the essential oil and identified as 2-furyl methyl ketone, limonene. In the progress of assay, it showed that the essential oil and 2-furyl methyl ketone exhibited stronger contact and fumigant activities against the two stored product insects than limonene. Moreover, the essential oil and its constituents exhibited the comparable repellency against the two stored product insects, relative to the positive control, DEET. The results indicate that the essential oil of P. frutescens aerial parts and its isolated compounds have potential for development into natural insecticides or fumigants as well as repellents for control of insects in stored grains.