Lethal and Sublethal Effects of Essential Oils From Artemisia khorassanica and Vitex pseudo-negundo Against Plodia interpunctella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Plodia interpunctella (Hübner, 1813) is a polyphagous and key pest of different stored products worldwide. The lethal and sublethal effects of essential oils of Artemisia khorassanica Podl. and Vitex pseudo-negundo (Hausskn) were studied on P. interpunctella. The chemical constituents of the essential oils were also assessed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Assays showed that the fumigant toxicity of A. khorassanica (LC50: 9.60 μl/liter air) was higher than V. pseudo-negundo (LC50: 23.05 μl/liter air). Moreover, the speed of mortality caused by A. khorassanica oil (LT50: 2.07 h) was higher than V. pseudo-negundo (LT50: 3.11 h). To assess the sublethal effects of the essential oils, adult moths were exposed to the LC30 of each essential oil, and life table parameters and energy contents of the surviving P. interpunctella were studied. Exposure to sublethal concentration of A. khorassanica negatively affected the life table of P. interpunctella, and also the protein, lipid, and glycogen contents of the larvae that came from treated adults. Vitex pseudo-negundo also affected lipid, protein, and glycogen contents of P. interpunctella. The intrinsic rate of increase (rm), finite rate of increase (k), and doubling time (DT) were not significantly different between control and V. pseudo-negundo treatment. According with these results, both tested essential oils, especially one extracted from A. khorassanica, have potential applications for the integrated management of P. interpunctella.