Essential Oil and its Insecticidal Activity of Medicinal Aromatic Plant Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Against the Red Flour Beetle Tribolium castaneum (Herbst)

Essential oil of Vetiver has versatile uses particularly as an inexpensive yet effective and eco-friendly tool to compact the essential role of biopesticides as well as insecticidal potentials. Insecticidal activity of the root extract of Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) in Petroleum ether, Ethyl acetate, Acetone and methanol against XSM, SMC, SRS and JTC strains of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) was studied. The spongy root mass were dried, powdered and extracted by Steam distillation apparatus with the solvents below 60°C. Experimental extracts were applied on larvae and adult beetles in film residue methods and mortality was recorded after 24 h. In larval bioassay the highest toxicity was recorded for petroleum ether extract (LD50 = 0.051 ^g/cm2) in XSM strain and the lowest toxicity has been observed in Methanol extract (LDS0 = 11.351 ^g/cm2) in SMC strain. In adults petroleum ether extract accessible highest toxicity (LD50 = 58.69 ^g/cm2) in JTC 12 strain and the lowest toxicity (LDS0 = 204.710 ^g/cm2) also been observed for acetone extract in SRS strain. LDS0, 95% confidence limits and regression equations are presented