Insecticidal Bioactivities Of Essential Oils Of Four Medicinal Plants Toward Different Strains Of Stored Grain Insect Pests

Present study was conducted to find a viable replacement of conventional synthetic insecticide to overcome the insect pest problem in stored commodities.Toxicological, repellent, phago deterrent and growth regulatory bioactivities of essential oils of Datura stramonium, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Moringa oleifera and Nigella sativa was investigated against three strains of Cryptolestes ferrugineus, Tribolium castaneum and Trogoderma granarium.Additionally fumigant efficiencies of ozone gas at high concentration range were evaluated against T. castaneum and C. ferrugineus. Findings of the study revealed that all essential oils tested are capable of ensuring safe grain storage by repelling, killing, inhibiting feeding and disturbing normal development of insects. D. stramonium was the most effective among all essential oils tested. Whereas C. ferrugineus was found the most susceptible insect followed by T. castaneum. Test insect strains, according to tolerance was observed in order Faisalabad (FSD) > Sahiwal (SWL) > Toba Tek Singh (TTS).Moreover achieving 100% mortality in test insects with ozone fumigation, proved it as better replacement to conventional fumigants