Essential oils are promising substitute for chemical pesticides with the inherent resistance by pests, environmental and health effects on humans. In this study, the chemical composition of essential oil extracted from Citrus sinensis peel was characterized, the insecticidal activities of the oil and its constituents against Callosobrunchus maculatus (Cowpea weevil) and Sitophilus zeamais (maize weevil) were investigated and the underlying insecticidal mechanism were elucidated. The essential oil was extracted by hydro-distillation and characterized using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Insecticidal activity was determined by contact and fumigant toxicity assay. The inhibitory effect of the oil and its constituents on acetylcholinesterase (AChE), Na+/K+-ATPase and glutathione-S- transferase (GST) activity were assayed using standard protocols. The total number of volatile compounds detected in C. sinensis essential oil was eighteen (18). d-limonene (59.3%), terpineol (8.31%) and linalool (6.88%) were the major compounds present in the essential oil. Among the tested essential oil compounds, terpineol showed highest contact toxicity against C. maculatus (LD50 =17.05 μg/adult) while 3-carene showed highest contact toxicity against S. zeamais (LD50 =26.01 μg/adult) at 24 h exposure time. Citral exhibited the highest fumigant toxicity against C. maculatus and S. zeamais with LC50 value 0.19 and 2.02 μL/L air at 24 h respectively. Acetylcholinesterase and Na+/K+-ATPase activities were significantly inhibited by C. sinensis oil and its constituents in both C. maculatus and S. zeamais as compared to control. This study indicates that C. sinensis essential oil and its constituents have potential to be developed into botanical pesticides.
Keywords: AChE; Botanical pesticide; GC–MS; Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase; Stored grains; Toxicity.
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