Methyl Benzoate Is Superior to Other Natural Fumigants for Controlling the Indian Meal Moth (<i>Plodia interpunctella</i>)
The Indian meal moth, <i>Plodia interpunctella</i> (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is an insect pest that commonly affects stored and postharvest agricultural products. For the control of insect pests and mites, methyl benzoate (MBe) is lethal as a fumigant and also causes contact tox...
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MDPI AG
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Insects |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/1/23 |
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| author | Md Munir Mostafiz Errol Hassan Rajendra Acharya Jae-Kyoung Shim Kyeong-Yeoll Lee |
| author_facet | Md Munir Mostafiz Errol Hassan Rajendra Acharya Jae-Kyoung Shim Kyeong-Yeoll Lee |
| author_sort | Md Munir Mostafiz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Indian meal moth, <i>Plodia interpunctella</i> (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is an insect pest that commonly affects stored and postharvest agricultural products. For the control of insect pests and mites, methyl benzoate (MBe) is lethal as a fumigant and also causes contact toxicity; although it has already been established as a food-safe natural product, the fumigation toxicity of MBe has yet to be demonstrated in <i>P. interpunctella</i>. Herein, we evaluated MBe as a potential fumigant for controlling adults of <i>P. interpunctella</i> in two bioassays. Compared to the monoterpenes examined under laboratory conditions, MBe demonstrated high fumigant activity using a 1-L glass bottle at 1 μL/L air within 4 h of exposure. The median lethal concentration (LC<sub>50</sub>) of MBe was 0.1 μL/L air; the median lethal time (LT<sub>50</sub>) of MBe at 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 1 μL/L air was 3.8, 3.3, 2.8, and 2.0 h, respectively. Compared with commercially available monoterpene compounds used in pest control, MBe showed the highest fumigant toxicity (toxicity order as follows): MBe > citronellal > linalool > 1,8 cineole > limonene. Moreover, in a larger space assay, MBe caused 100% mortality of <i>P. interpunctella</i> at 0.01 μL/cm<sup>3</sup> of air after 24 h of exposure. Therefore, MBe can be recommended for use in food security programs as an ecofriendly alternative fumigant. Specifically, it provides another management tool for curtailing the loss of stored food commodities due to <i>P. interpunctella</i> infestation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:35:23Z |
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| id | doaj.art-f56eeb0e41d84d20bc1d4423b98d04f8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:35:23Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj.art-f56eeb0e41d84d20bc1d4423b98d04f82023-11-21T07:36:48ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502020-12-011212310.3390/insects12010023Methyl Benzoate Is Superior to Other Natural Fumigants for Controlling the Indian Meal Moth (<i>Plodia interpunctella</i>)Md Munir Mostafiz0Errol Hassan1Rajendra Acharya2Jae-Kyoung Shim3Kyeong-Yeoll Lee4Division of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, KoreaSchool of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland Gatton, Queensland 4343, AustraliaDivision of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, KoreaDivision of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, KoreaDivision of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, KoreaThe Indian meal moth, <i>Plodia interpunctella</i> (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is an insect pest that commonly affects stored and postharvest agricultural products. For the control of insect pests and mites, methyl benzoate (MBe) is lethal as a fumigant and also causes contact toxicity; although it has already been established as a food-safe natural product, the fumigation toxicity of MBe has yet to be demonstrated in <i>P. interpunctella</i>. Herein, we evaluated MBe as a potential fumigant for controlling adults of <i>P. interpunctella</i> in two bioassays. Compared to the monoterpenes examined under laboratory conditions, MBe demonstrated high fumigant activity using a 1-L glass bottle at 1 μL/L air within 4 h of exposure. The median lethal concentration (LC<sub>50</sub>) of MBe was 0.1 μL/L air; the median lethal time (LT<sub>50</sub>) of MBe at 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 1 μL/L air was 3.8, 3.3, 2.8, and 2.0 h, respectively. Compared with commercially available monoterpene compounds used in pest control, MBe showed the highest fumigant toxicity (toxicity order as follows): MBe > citronellal > linalool > 1,8 cineole > limonene. Moreover, in a larger space assay, MBe caused 100% mortality of <i>P. interpunctella</i> at 0.01 μL/cm<sup>3</sup> of air after 24 h of exposure. Therefore, MBe can be recommended for use in food security programs as an ecofriendly alternative fumigant. Specifically, it provides another management tool for curtailing the loss of stored food commodities due to <i>P. interpunctella</i> infestation.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/1/23stored-product insectfumigation toxicitynaturally available compoundmonoterpenes |
| spellingShingle | Md Munir Mostafiz Errol Hassan Rajendra Acharya Jae-Kyoung Shim Kyeong-Yeoll Lee Methyl Benzoate Is Superior to Other Natural Fumigants for Controlling the Indian Meal Moth (<i>Plodia interpunctella</i>) Insects stored-product insect fumigation toxicity naturally available compound monoterpenes |
| title | Methyl Benzoate Is Superior to Other Natural Fumigants for Controlling the Indian Meal Moth (<i>Plodia interpunctella</i>) |
| title_full | Methyl Benzoate Is Superior to Other Natural Fumigants for Controlling the Indian Meal Moth (<i>Plodia interpunctella</i>) |
| title_fullStr | Methyl Benzoate Is Superior to Other Natural Fumigants for Controlling the Indian Meal Moth (<i>Plodia interpunctella</i>) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Methyl Benzoate Is Superior to Other Natural Fumigants for Controlling the Indian Meal Moth (<i>Plodia interpunctella</i>) |
| title_short | Methyl Benzoate Is Superior to Other Natural Fumigants for Controlling the Indian Meal Moth (<i>Plodia interpunctella</i>) |
| title_sort | methyl benzoate is superior to other natural fumigants for controlling the indian meal moth i plodia interpunctella i |
| topic | stored-product insect fumigation toxicity naturally available compound monoterpenes |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/1/23 |
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