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Abstract
Storage pests influence food production and conservation worldwide. The common control measures for these pests involve the use of synthetic pesticides, but these pesticides are harmful to the environment and human health. Thus, biological insecticides can substitute or reduce dependence on synthetic insecticides. This work aimed to study the insecticidal activities of essential oils (EOs) from leaves, fruits and stems of Melicope pteleifolia and their main compound against three kinds of pests, Tribolium castaneum, Lasioderma serricorne and Liposcelis bostrychophila. The Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) detection showed that β-cis-ocimene was the major compound in EOs from leaves and fruits of M. pteleifolia (26.96, and 65.99%, respectively). The main compound of stems EO is origanene (77.00%). In the fumigation test, EO of fruits and β-cis-ocimene were toxic to L. serricorne, and β-cis-ocimene was toxic to T. castaneum. The EOs and β-cis-ocimene had significant contact toxicity and repellent effect on these three species of pests. The results indicated that M. pteleifolia EOs are potential biological insecticides for controlling storage pests.