GC-MS analysis of insecticidal essential oil of flowering aerial parts of Saussurea nivea Turcz.
BACKGROUND
Several species from Saussurea have been used in the traditional medicine, such as S. lappa, S. involucrate, and S. obvallata. There is no report on medicinal use of S. nivea. The aim of this research was to determine chemical composition and insecticidal activity of the essential oil of S. nivea Turcz (Asteraceae) aerial parts against maize weevils (Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky) for the first time.


RESULTS
Essential oil of S. nivea flowering aerial parts was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of 43 components of the essential oil of S. nivea were identified. The principal compounds in the essential oil were (+)-limonene (15.46%), caryophyllene oxide (7.62%), linalool (7.20%), α-pinene (6.43%), β-pinene (5.66%) and spathulenol (5.02%) followed by β-eudesmoll (4.64%) and eudesma-4,11-dien-2-ol (3.76%). The essential oil of S. nivea exhibited strong contact toxicity against S. zeamais with an LD50 value of 10.56 μg/adult. The essential oil also possessed fumigant toxicity against S. zeamais with an LC50 value of 8.89 mg/L.


CONCLUSIONS
The study indicates that the essential oil of S. nivea flowering aerial parts has a potential for development into a natural insecticide/fumigant for control of insects in stored grains.
Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Haidian District, Beijing, 100193, China. zhilongliu@cau.edu.cn
Sha Sha
SS
Chu
Guo Hua
GH
Jiang
Zhi Long
ZL
Liu