title: Insect spontaneous ultraweak photon emission as an indicator of insecticidal compounds.
abstract: The influence of beta-cypermethrin, a commercial insecticide, and Cicuta virosa L. var. latisecta Celak (Umbelliferae:Cicutal), an insecticidal plant, on the spontaneous ultraweak photon emissions from larvae of Spodoptera litura Fabricius and Zophobas morio Fabricius were studied. The increased percentages of spontaneous photon emission intensities from S. litura treated with 0.1 and 1 μg/ml beta-cypermethrin were both lower than those of the control in the 24 post-treatment hours, remarkable difference could also be observed during the same period from Z. morio treated with beta-cypermethrin at 0.156, 0.313 and 0.625 μg/ml. The increased percentages of spontaneous photon emission intensities from the two mentioned insects treated with 10,100 and 1000 μg/ml petroleum ether fraction of C. virosa L. var. latisecta, which displayed little activity against whole insects, could also be changed noticeably. The present study indicated that change in the intensity of spontaneous ultraweak photon emission from insect could be used as a novel method for screening insecticidal compounds with very low content in plant.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yongqing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: College of Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chuping
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: hhxu@scau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Hanhong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000473:Alkanes / Q000737:chemistry; D000818:Animals; D029981:Cicuta / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000254:growth & development; D007306:Insecticides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D017785:Photons; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D011722:Pyrethrins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D018411:Spodoptera / Q000254:growth & development; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000473:Alkanes; D007306:Insecticides; D010936:Plant Extracts; D011722:Pyrethrins; C017160:cypermethrin; C004544:naphtha
keywords: Beta-cypermethrin; Cicuta virosa L. var. latisecta Celak; Spodoptera litura Fabricius; Spontaneous ultraweak photon emission; Zophobas morio Fabricius