Anti-termite activity of essential oil and its components from Myristica fragrans against Microcerotermes beesoni

Abstract

The essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation of the fruits of Myristica fragrans was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. Twenty eight compounds were identified representing 95.9% of the oil. The major constituents of the oil were α-pinene (6.4%), Sabinene (37.7%), β-pinene (7.3%), myrcene (3.5%),Limonene (4.7%),Terpine-4-ol (5.8%), safrole (3.4%) and myristicin (6.8%).The essential oil and its major constituents were evaluated at different dilution against Microcerotermes beesoni, test termite. The LC₅₀ value of fruit essential oil is 28.6 mg/g. Furthermore, exposure to myristicin caused 100% mortality at a dosage of 5 mg/g after 14d. @JASEM

J. Appl. Sci. Environ. Manage. Sept, 2011, Vol. 15 (3) 559 - 561