title: Insecticidal activity of essential oils to the tobacco cutworm, Spodoptera litura.
abstract: Twenty-one essential oils were tested for insecticidal activity via topical administration to third instar larvae of the tobacco cutworm, Spodoptera litura. Oils of Satureia hortensis, Thymus serpyllum and Origanum creticum produced >90% larval mortality at 24 h at a dose of 100 microg per larva. The LD(50) value for S. hortensis (48.4 microg) was comparable to that for Thymus vulgaris (46.9 microg). The monoterpenoid phenols thymol and carvacrol, major constituents of the oils of Thymus and Satureia species, likely account for the insecticidal action of the species.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4. murray.isman@ubc.ca
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Isman
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Passreiter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007306:Insecticides; D007814:Larva; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D010938:Plant Oils; D018411:Spodoptera
chemical_list: D007306:Insecticides; D010938:Plant Oils