article · Molecules
Storage pests cause serious damage to stored grain, making environmentally safe pest control alternatives essential. Essential oil extracted from the leaves of Lantana camara, an invasive weed, shows notable insecticidal properties against three common storage pests: Tribolium castaneum, Lasioderma serricorne, and Callosobruchus chinensis. Extraction yields approximately 0.24 percent oil, with the primary chemical constituents identified as caryophyllene, isoledene, and alpha-copaene. Laboratory evaluations demonstrate that the oil possesses strong fumigant and contact toxicity against all three insect species within twenty-four hours, alongside marked repellent activity. Furthermore, safety testing revealed that the essential oil does not significantly hinder the germination of paddy seeds. These findings indicate that an abundant weed could serve as a valuable raw material for natural pest management agents in grain protection.
Post-harvest pest infestations cause substantial food losses globally, yet synthetic chemical insecticides carry environmental and health hazards. Utilising Lantana camara, an otherwise harmful and widespread weed, to produce a natural biopesticide provides a sustainable alternative for grain preservation. Because the oil does not compromise seed germination, it represents a potentially safe method to safeguard staple crops while simultaneously making productive use of an invasive plant.
The research demonstrates the potential to develop botanical biopesticides from an invasive weed for grain storage managers and post-harvest crop handlers. Given that the findings are based on laboratory toxicity, repellency, and seed germination trials, the technology is at an early research stage. Practical commercialisation will require further formulation development, evaluation under real-world storage conditions, and economic assessment of the low extraction yield.
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Storage pests and the food spoilage they cause are problems of great concern. Using essential oil obtained from different plants as an insecticide against these storage pests can be considered an environmentally friendly pest management option. <i>Lantana camara</i> Linn. (family Verbenaceae) is a flowering species, and is also a noxious weed that can proliferate well in nearly all geographical habitats. A biopesticide derived from the essential oil extracted from this plant can offer an effective solution for controlling storage pests. The goal of this study is to extract and analyse the chemical composition of essential oil obtained from <i>L. camara</i> leaves, and assess its effectiveness as a bioactive substance against three storage pests: <i>Tribolium castaneum</i>, <i>Lasioderma serricorne</i>, and <i>Callosobruchus chinensis</i>. The yield of essential oil extracted from <i>L. camara</i> leaves was about 0.24 ± 0.014%. By employing the GC-MS technique, the major phytochemicals contained in <i>L. camara</i> leaf essential oil were identified as caryophyllene (69.96%), isoledene (12%), and ɑ-copaene (4.11%). The essential oil exhibited excellent fumigant toxicity (LC<sub>50</sub> of 16.70 mg/L air for <i>T. castaneum</i>, 4.141 mg/L air for <i>L. serricorne</i> and 6.245 mg/L air for <i>C. chinensis</i> at 24 h), contact toxicity (LC<sub>50</sub> of 8.93 mg/cm<sup>2</sup> for <i>T. castaneum</i>, 4.82 mg/cm<sup>2</sup> for <i>L. serricorne</i> and 6.24 mg/cm<sup>2</sup> for <i>C. chinensis</i> after 24 h) along with effective repellent activity towards the test insects. In addition, the oil showed no significant phytotoxicity on the germination of paddy seeds. This presents the potential to utilize a weed in developing a biopesticide for effectively managing stored product insects because of its strong bioactivity.
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DOI: 10.3390/molecules29020344
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