DOI: 10.16970/entoted.1820732 ISSN: 1010-6960

Insecticidal activity and repellency of Salvia rosmarinus Spenn. (Lamiales: Lamiaceae) essential oil against two major stored-product beetles

Zoubeyda Bakhtaoui, Sara Yahla, Kamel Msaada, Tayeb Mahi, Tara Canelo
Show PDF Cite
This study, conducted in 2025 at the laboratory of sustainable management of natural resources in arid and semi-arid areas, Naâma, Algeria, aimed to evaluate the chemical composition, contact toxicity, and repellency of Salvia rosmarinus Spenn. (Lamiales: Lamiaceae) essential oil (SREO) from Algeria against two major stored-grain pests, Lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (Fabricius, 1792) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) and Red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst, 1797) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). GC/MS analysis identified 1,8-cineole (43.63%), camphor (23.13%), α-pinene (8.75%), and β-pinene (6.43%) as the dominant compounds. In contact bioassays, SREO induced concentration-dependent mortality, with LC50 values of 16.2 µL/mL for R. dominica and 28.5 µL/mL for T. castaneum. Repellency assays showed strong concentration- and time-dependent avoidance, reaching 76.5% and 74.5% repellency at 16 µL/mL for R. dominica and T. castaneum, respectively classifying SREO as Class IV repellent. The higher susceptibility of R. dominica underscores species-specific responses. These results highlight SREO as a promising botanical agent for eco-friendly management of stored-product insects.

More from our Archive