The objective of this work was to investigate the chemical compositions of the essential oil (EO) extracted from Senecio scandens by hydrodistillation and their insecticidal activities against Tribolium castaneum, Lasioderma serricorne and Liposceis bostrychophila. The chemical profile of the EO were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and 20 compounds were identified which accounted for 88.03% of the total EO. Five major compounds identified in the EO were assayed against the three stored product insects. The EO showed strong contact toxicity to T. castaneum (LD50 = 18.01 μg/adult), L. serricorne (LD50 = 20.11 μg/adult) and L. bostrychophila (LD50 = 72.14 μg/cm2). Among all compounds, geraniol showed the contact toxicity against L. serricorne and L. bostrychophila with LD50 values of 15.82 μg/adult and 26.64 μg/cm2. The EO and its five chemical compounds also exhibited different level of potential repellence to the three stored product insects.
Keywords: Senecio scandens Buch-Ham; contact toxicity; essential oils; repellency.