Toxic and antifeedant action of nutmeg oil against Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) and Sitophilus zeamais Motsch.

The essential oil extracted from nutmeg seeds using steam distillation was tested against the stored product insect pests, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) and Sitophilus zeamais Motsch., for contact toxicity, fumigant toxicity and antifeedant activity. Filter paper impregnation was employed for contact and fumigant toxicity studies, whereas a flour disc bioassay was used to investigate antifeedant effects. Adults of S. zeamais were about ten times more susceptible than T. castaneum adults to contact action (LC50 values of 1.7 mg/cm(2) and 18 mg/cm(2) respectively). However, S. zeamais adults were only 1.7 times more susceptible than T. castaneum adults to fumigant action (LC50 values of 4.5 mg/cm(2) and 7.7 mg/cm(2) respectively). Furthermore, the larvae (10-16 days old) of T. castaneum were more susceptible than the adults, but the susceptibility of the larvae decreased with age. Nutmeg oil also significantly (P < 0.05) affected the hatching of T. castaneum eggs and the subsequent survival of the larvae in the concentration range 1.4-3.2 mg/cm(2). The production of F1 progeny of both T. castaneum and S. zeamais exposed to media treated with nutmeg oil was significantly (P < 0.05) reduced at all concentrations tested. F1 progeny production was totally suppressed at nutmeg oil concentrations of 1.05 g/100 g rice for T. castaneum and 0.35 g/100 g wheat for S. zeamais. Nutritional studies showed that nutmeg oil significantly (P < 0.05) affected the growth rate and food consumption of both insect species, depending on the concentrations used, but the antifeedant activity was more pronounced against S. zeamais than against T. castaneum. At 20 g nutmeg oil/100 ml, the feeding deterrence index of T. castaneum was only about 7%, whereas that of S. zeamais was 33%. These results suggest that nutmeg oil may be useful as a grain protectant with contact, fumigant and antifeedant activities against these insects. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.