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Research article2020Peer reviewed

Chemical composition and antifeedant activity of some aromatic plants against pine weevil (Hylobius abietis)

Azeem, Muhammad; Iqbal, Zafar; Emami, S. Noushin; Nordlander, Goran; Nordenhem, Henrik; Mozuratis, Raimondas; El-Seedi, Hesham R.; Borg-Karlson, Anna Karin

Abstract

The pine weevil Hylobius abietis is an important pest causing severe damage to conifer seedlings in reforestation areas in Europe and Asia. Plants that have no evolutionary history with the pine weevil are of special interest in the search for compounds with a strong antifeedant activity. Thus, the essential oils of nine aromatic plants, viz Amomum subulatum, Cinnamomum tamala, Curcuma longa, Laurus nobilis, Ocimum basilicum, Origanum majorana, Origanum vulgare, Syzygium aromaticum and Trachyspermum ammi were extracted by hydrodistillation. The essential oil constituents were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and antifeedant properties towards the pine weevil were assessed using choice feeding bioassay. The essential oils of C. longa, O. majorana, S. aromaticum and T. ammi showed an excellent antifeedant activity towards the pine weevil for 24 hr, whereas the essential oil of other plants showed the activity for 6 hr. There was a positive correlation between the amount of benzenoid compounds and the antifeedant activity of the essential oils. This study suggests that pine weevil non-host plant compounds have potential to be used for the protection of seedlings against pine weevil feeding. However, further study will be needed to explore the antifeedant activity of individual components and oils in the laboratory as well as in the field.

Keywords

conifer seedlings; essential oil; GC-MS; feeding deterrent; forest regeneration; plant protection

Published in

Annals of Applied Biology
2020, Volume: 177, number: 1, pages: 121-131
Publisher: WILEY

      SLU Authors

      • Associated SLU-program

      SLU Plant Protection Network

      Sustainable Development Goals

      Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

      UKÄ Subject classification

      Forest Science

      Publication identifier

      DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/aab.12586

      Permanent link to this page (URI)

      https://res.slu.se/id/publ/105146