Studying the Efficiency of Essential Oil Blends with the Pesticide Abamectin against Adult and Larvae of Trogoderma granarium (Everts)

Al Mansoori, D.H.H., F.S. Al Bayati and S.M. Jawad. 2023. Studying the Efficiency of Essential Oil Blends with the Pesticide Abamectin against Adult and Larvae of Trogoderma granarium (Everts). Arab Journal of Plant Protection, 41(1): 18-27. https://doi.org/10.22268/AJPP-41.1.018027 Using chemical pesticides has several adverse effects on the environment and human health. Therefore, natural plant extract products may provide an alternative to chemical pesticides for the control of stored pests and reduce the impact caused by chemical pesticides. The use of aromatic essential oils in the management of insect pests has recently gained popularity due to their chemical composition and the presence of many important compounds for controlling harmful insects, such as stored grain pests. A series of laboratory studies were conducted to determine the lowest dosage of the insecticide Abamectin combined as (1:1) with Eucalyptus oil against the insect's adult, third, and fifth stage larvae khapra. In addition, the repellency or attraction of Eucalyptus oil has been examined. The findings indicated that various concentrations of Abamectin were used against the khapra beetle; the death rates of the concentrations (0.6 and 0.15 ml/L) were 91.67 and 78.33% compared to the control. The concentration 0.3 and 0.15 mg/L when mixed with Eucalyptus oil (1:1) gave 98.33 and 86.67% mortality, respectively, compared to the control, which was 0.00%. The result also indicated that mortality rates were highest by the concentration of 0.6 ml/L with a death rate of 85.55 and 80.00% of the third and fifth instar larvae, while the concentration of 0.15 ml/L gave death rates of 74.44 and 67.77%, respectively. the addition of Eucalyptus oil at a ratio of 1:1 to the insecticide concentrations 0.3 ml/L led to an increase in the mortality rates of the third and fifth instar larvae that reached 88.89 and 85.55%, respectively. Likewise, the death rates of using the insecticide concentration of 0.15 ml/L were 81.11 and 82.22%, respectively. The study also indicated the effect of Eucalyptus oil alone on the percentage of death of adults, the third and fifth instars of the Khapra beetle were 83.33, 48.61 and 65.55%, respectively, whereas the death rate for the control treatment was 1.67%. The study also confirmed that Eucalyptus oil had an 83.00% repellant effect on adults, whereas it had an 84.50% attraction effect on fifth-stage larvae. The study suggests using these essential oils as a potential safe alternative to insecticides. Keywords: Khapra Beetle, Eucalyptus oil, pesticides, Essential oils