Chemical Structure Of Pinus nigra Cone Essential Oil and its Toxicity Assessment Against the Pest Beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus sp

Abstract

 Plant extracts and essential oils were used as bioinsecticides products and are exhibited a toxicity to insect pests with a low effects on non target animals and environment. So these are showing a promising alternative sources, instead of conventional pesticides, for pest and vector insect control agents.  With their insecticidal qualities, EOs are produced by a number of plant families. Pines are represented with more than 100 species generally distributed in the Northern hemisphere part and considered as one of the major trees of temperate forests and the pine species, Pinus nigra Arn. is a the main tree widely distributed. In Algeria, the unique natural population of the investigated subspecies Pinus nigra Arn. sp. mauritanica is restricted in the nature reserve of national park of Djurdjura.  According to the interest in developing plant bioinsecticides,  the present study was carried out in order  to make a chemical analysis and to evaluate the adulticidal activities and the repellent effects of the Eo of the pine cones of P. nigra sp. mauretanica against the stored products adults of Cowpea seed beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera, Bruchidae). Chemical analyses of the EO extracted from the cones of Pinus nigra sp. mauritanica revealed the presence of 39 compounds belonging mainly to a-pinene (58.1%), (E)-b-caryophyllene (4.2%), caryophyllene oxide (3.3%), and abiatatriene (2.3%) that were the major compounds in the EOs of P. nigra cones. The bioassays showed that the cone of P. nigra EO exhibited a toxic effect against the treated beetles. So, this EO will be recommended to be used as an alternative bioinsecticide agents for pest control.