ARS | Publication request: Essential oil composition of five collections of Achillea biebersteinii from central Turkey and their antifungal and insecticidal activity

Submitted to: Natural Product Communications
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: March 14, 2011
Publication Date: May 4, 2011
Citation: Tabanca, N., Demirci, B., Gurbuz, I., Demirci, F., Becnel, J.J., Wedge, D.E., Baser, K. 2011. Essential oil composition of five collections of Achillea biebersteinii from central Turkey and their antifungal and insecticidal activity. Natural Product Communications. 6(5):701-706.

Interpretive Summary: Essential oils can be an alternative source of environmentally useful in pest management applications. One aspect of our research focuses on novel plant-derived fungicides for the control of important crop pathogens and pests in agriculture. Pathogens of small fruits and ornamentals, such as Colletotrichum, Botrytis, Phomopsis and Fusarium, continue to hamper the growth and profitability of many agricultural crops. Under the Deployed War-Fighter Protection (DWFP) Research Program, we have expanded their role in exploration and identification of new natural compounds for mosquito activity. The composition of the essential oils hydrodistilled from the aerial parts of five Achillea biebersteinii Afan samples, collected in central Turkey were analyzed both by gas chromatography (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The identified major components were 1,8-cineole (9-37%), camphor (16-30%) and p-cymene (1-27%). Two samples differed in piperitone (11%) and ascaridol (4%) content.The essential oils showed no antifungal activity at 80 and 160 ug/spot. A. biebersteinii oils and their major compounds were subsequently investigated against Aedes aegypti first instar larvae in a high throughput bioassay. Among the oils, only one sample showed a notable larvacidal effect on Ae. aegypti larvae. The major compounds, 1,8-cineole, camphor and p-cymene, exhibited low mosquito larval activity, and thus the minor compounds are probably responsible for the observed activity against Ae. aegypti larvae. The oils showed weak activity against adult Ae. aegypti.

Technical Abstract: The composition of the essential oils hydrodistilled from the aerial parts of five Achillea biebersteinii Afan samples, collected in central Turkey from Konya, Isparta and Ankara, were analyzed both by gas chromatography (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Eighty-four components were identified, representing 87 to 99% of the total oil composition. The identified major components were 1,8-cineole (9-37%), camphor (16-30%) and p-cymene (1-27%). Two samples differed in piperitone (11%) and ascaridol (4%) content. The five A. biebersteinii essential oils were subsequently evaluated for their antifungal activity against the strawberry anthracnose-causing fungal plant pathogens Colletotrichum acutatum, C. fragariae and C. gloeosporioides using the direct overlay bioautography assay. The essential oils showed no antifungal activity at 80 and 160 ug/spot. In addition, A. biebersteinii oils and their major compounds were subsequently investigated against Aedes aegypti first instar larvae in a high throughput bioassay. Among the oils, only one sample from Ankara showed a notable larvacidal effect on Ae. aegypti larvae. The major compounds, 1,8-cineole, camphor and p-cymene, exhibited low mosquito larval activity, and thus the minor compounds are probably responsible for the observed activity against Ae. aegypti larvae. The oils showed weak activity against adult Ae. aegypti.