Repellent Action of Laurus nobilis Essential Oil against the Cigarette Beetle Lasioderma serricorne Fabricius (Coleoptera: Anobiidae)

An increased interest has been employed in the research on natural products, including plant extracts, which might replace synthetic pesticides or contribute toward the development of new pest control agents. During the last decade, essential oils have been shown to possess a broad spectrum of insecticidal activity. The Laurel, Laurus nobilis L. (Lauraceae), commonly called 'Rand' is an evergreen tree up to 20 m high and native to the Mediterranean region. In Tunisia, it occurs and grows especially near river borders and mountains (region of Kroumirie, Ain Drahm, Tabarka and Kef). Some specimens are still encountered in the region of Zaghouan (Djebel Ghorra). It is generally used as a valuable spice and flavouring agent in the culinary and food industry. In traditional medicine, it is used as nerving against, hysteria and emmenagogue Powdered fruit in the form of infusion possesses diuretic and carminative properties. Besides, the repellent action of its essential oil was reported against several species of stored-product pests. The goal of this work was to investigate the repellency of essential oil extracted from fresh leaves of laurel Laurus nobilis (L.) against a major beetle of stored-product Lasioderma serricorne (F.). The cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne is known to develop on a variety of grain-based products, spices and tobacco and infest these commodities during storage, and manufacturing. This is a major stored-product pest in Tunisia and North Africa. Results showed that L. nobilis essential oil was characterized by 1,8-cineole (24.55%), linalool (17.67%), eugenylmethylether (12.40%), isovaleraldehyde (9.65%) and camphene (7.21%) as major components. The repellent action depends on oil concentration. Repellent percentages were respectively 12.5, 57.5 and 60% at concentrations 0.04, 0.08 and 0.2 mu l/cm(2). Moreover, the lethal repellent dose 50 (RD50) was 37.84 mu l/cm(2).