Chemical Composition, Insecticidal and Mosquito Larvicidal Activities of Allspice (Pimenta dioica) Essential Oil

Abstract

Essential oils are biologically and environmentally safe pesticidal compounds yielded from aromatic plants. Spices are important sources of essential oils, and they are widely used in the medicine, food, and various other industries. Among the different spices, Allspice (Pimenta dioica) is underexplored in terms of its biological efficacy and a limited number of studies are available on the chemical composition of Allspice essential oil (AEO); thus, the present study evaluated the larvicidal property, the repellency, and the fumigant toxicity against common pests of stored products of AEO. AEO was found to inhibit the survival of larvae of such vectors as Aedis, Culex, and Armigeres species. Further, AEO was found to exert repellant effects against the pests of such stored products as Sitophilus, Callosobruchus, and Tribolium. Similarly, the fumigant toxicity was found to be high for AEO against these species. The contact toxicity of AEO was high against Sitophilus and Callosobruchus. Apart from that, the essential oil was found to be safe against a non-target organism (guppy fishes) and was found to be non-genotoxic in an Allium cepa model. Overall, the results of the present study indicate that the essential oil from Allspice could be used as an environmentally safe larvicidal and biopesticidal compound.

Utilization of Pomelo (Citrus maxima) Peel Waste into Bioactive Essential Oils: Chemical Composition and Insecticidal Properties

“…Hence, we selected Poecilia reticulata as a model organism for non-targeted species toxicity. Briefly, the male and female fishes of length 3.25 ± 0.08 cm and weighing 1.15 ± 0.12 g were treated with different doses of CMEO (0–250 µg/mL) over 48 h and observed for any kind of toxicity symptoms inlcuding body color change, difficulty in swimming, and mortality [ 36 ].…”

Cyclodepsipeptides: Isolation from Endophytic Fungi of Sarcophyton ehrenbergi and Verification of Their Larvicidal Activity via In-Vitro and In-Silico Studies

“…Aside from pests, vectors, which include mosquitoes, are another important group of insects that have a major impact on healthcare systems. Mosquitoes are the primary vectors of pathogens such as Zika virus and malarial and dengue virus in tropical and subtropical countries such as India, South Africa, and Brazil [ 3 ]. According to WHO, mosquitoes are considered the number one “public enemy” [ 4 ].…”

Quantitative NMR Spectrometry of Phenylpropanoids, including Isoeugenol in Herbs, Spices, and Essential Oils

“…In cloves, the high contents of eugenol described in the literature could be verified. In allspice, the high contents of eugenol and methyleugenol could also be verified [ 42 , 43 ].…”