Journal of Essential Oil Bearing Plants | 2019
Influence of Harvesting Time on Essential Oil Content, Chemical Composition and Pesticidal Activity of Artemisia maritima Growing Wild in the Cold Desert Region of Western Himalayas
Abstract
Abstract Essential oil (EO) of Artemisia maritima plants growing naturally in the cold desert region has been extracted by hydro distillation at different growth stages during 2015-16. The constituents of the EO have been characterized by gas chromatography (GC) and GC-mass spectrometry. Nineteen compounds were identified. EO content and composition vary throughout the vegetation period of the plant. The best time for higher EO content (0.45±0.15 %) is August, while for higher 1,8-cineole (59.24±1.63 %) is during October. EO of A. maritima was characterized by high content of 1,8-cineole, bornyl acetate, terpinen-4-ol, camphor, sabinene and germacrene D which varied from 90.54±7.76 to 92.41±6.50 % of the total oil content. The EO of A. maritima was evaluated for their acaricidal activity against two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) (Acarina: Tetranychidae). EO reported excellent fumigant activity against T. urticae with LC50 value of 323.86, 27.05, 15.48 and 12.15 mgL-1 after 1, 2, 3 and 4 h of treatment, respectively as compared to positive control i.e. Propargite 57 % EC (755.72 mgL-1). In repellent activity, 10000 mgL-1 showed significantly higher repellency (95.83±1.67 %) to adult T. urticae and was at par with positive control i.e. Azadirachtin 0.15 % EC (96.67±3.33 %) and 8000 mgL-1 (91.67±2.20 %) as compared to other concentrations studied.