Chemical composition and biological activities of essential oils of different plants of Ligusticum genus against three stored insects

Apiaceae L. contains many potential plants as repellent and insecticidal resources. However, Ligusticum applied in the stored insect control is still under-evaluated. Hence, the chemical composition and bioactivities of five Ligusticum plants with abundant resources were investigated in this study against Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), Lasioderma serricorne (Coleoptera: Anobiidae), and Liposcelis bostrychophila (Psocoptera: Liposcelididae). The contact toxicity was found 24 h after treatment with Ligusticum pteridophyllum, Ligusticum ajanense, Ligusticum chuanxiong, Ligusticum thomsonii, and Ligusticum jeholense essential oils (LD50 = 87.99, 44.01, 21.53, 125.37, and >50% mu g/adult; 89.82, 93.51, 28.42, 105.55, and 50.16 mu g/adult; 7.87, 308.62, 67.82, and 195.06 mu g/cm(2), respectively). The five plants' essential oils possessed poor fumigant toxicity against three target insects at the highest concentration. Moreover, all analyzed oils have good repellent activity in a dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, the tested oils have the potential to be developed as contact and repellent agents in protecting the stored products.