Composition and Efficacy of Zanthoxylum alatum Essential Oils and Extracts Against Spodoptera litura

Abstract

Zanthoxylum alatum Roxb. (Z. armatum DC.), belonging to the family Rutaceae, is a large genus of over 200 species of aromatic plants, in which 10 species are reported in India [1]. The species distributed in the hot valleys of the subtropical Himalayas is an important shrub that is traditionally and medicinally used in "kapha" and "vata," abdominal and dental problems, leucoderma, asthma, and in fever and dyspepsia due to their deodorant, disinfectant, and antiseptic properties [2]. Many researchers have reported that the essential oil and extract exhibited good antimicrobial, insecticidal, larvicidal, anthelmintic, and antiinflammatory properties and are also useful in gastric ulceration [3][4][5][6][7][8]. The bark and seeds of the shrub are generally used by the local inhabitants of the subtropical Himalayas to treat toothache and pyorrhea. The literature survey revealed the chemical composition of essential oils from the leaves, terminal branchlets, fruits, and pericarp [9-13]; earlier, 10-12% oil yield in the fruit pericarp was also reported by the researcher [13]. Dubey and Purohit [11] reported the presence of linalool (34.5%) as a major constituent in the leaf oil of Z. alatum. The presence of linalool to an extent of 87.7% and 70.6%, respectively, has also been reported [14,15]. Recently, linalool (18.8%) and undecan-2-one (17.0%) from the aerial parts of Z. alatum were also reported [16].In this communication, the efficacy of essential oils and extracts of Z. alatum were tested against Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), which is an economically important polyphagous pest with high mobility and reproductive capacity [17]. It is one of the most economically important insect pests in many countries including India, Japan, China, and other countries of Southeast Asia. In India, China, and Japan, its larval stages causes damage up 30% of crops, including tobacco, castor, groundnut, tomato, cabbage, cauliflower, cotton, and other cruciferous crops [18,19]. About 71% of groundnut (A. hypogaea L.) has been affected with increased larval density of S. litura in India [20] and intensified defoliation [21]. Synthetic organic insecticides damage the environment and lead to pest resurgence, pest resistance to insecticides, and lethal effects on nontarget organisms [22]. To overcome this problem, one needs to develop ecofriendly and biodegradable antifeedant/ insecticides. Extensive surveys and reports on plants used as insecticides/antifeedant can be found in the literature. More than 2400 plants species have been reported to have insecticide/antifeedant properties [23].Extensive literature survey shows that analysis of bark essential oil of Z. alatum as well as antifeedant activity against S. litura has not been previously conducted. The present study is therefore aimed at investigating the essential oil constituents of the leaves, bark, and pericarp of Z. alatum and the efficacy of its extracts and oils against larvae of S. litura.The essential oils of Z. alatum were subjected to detailed GC a...

Monitoring of Resistance to New Chemistry Insecticides in Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Pakistan

“…Spodoptera litura is widely distributed throughout the Middle East, East Asia, Oceania, and the Pacific islands, and is found in climates ranging from tropical to temperate (Fu et al 2015). In China, India, and Japan, its larval stages cause up to 30% damage in several crops, including tobacco, castor, groundnut, tomato, cabbage, cauliflower, cotton, and other crucifers (Kumar et al 2014). …”

Characterization of odour‐active compounds in Timur (Zanthoxylum armatum DC.) fruits from Nepal

“…Most of the studies on Timur EOs do not specify the isomeric form of methyl cinnamate or reported the cis‐isomer as the main constituent. We confirmed in our study, based on LRIs, that the trans‐isomer is the major one accounting to 9 to 20% of the volatile part of our extracts compared to less than 0.1% for the cis version.…”

“…), belonging to the Rutaceae family, is an evergreen tree mainly reported to grow in India, China, Nepal, Pakistan and Japan. All the parts of the tree and corresponding essential oils (EO) are widely used in local traditional medicine …”

“…The EO of Timur can be obtained from the bark,, the leaves, the fruits or the pericarp of the fruit . This ingredient is a natural source of linalool as it accounts for 20% to 75% of the oils . Limonene, β‐phellandrene and methyl cinnamate are reported to be present between 5–30%, 1–20% and 5–20%, respectively.…”

Synthesis of Tungsten Oxide, Iron Oxide, and Copper-Doped Iron Oxide Nanocomposites and Evaluation of Their Mixing Effects with Cyromazine against Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval)

“…The cotton leafworm, Spodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is an important pest in the cotton-growing regions of northern Africa, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean . This pest causes the most damage to more than 180 plant species, including cotton, tomatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, and other crucifers …”