Repellent Effect and Metabolite Volatile Profile of the Essential Oil of Achillea millefolium Against Aegorhinus nodipennis (Hope) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

Abstract

Aegorhinus nodipennis (Hope) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is an important native pest in fruit crops that is mainly found in European hazelnut fields in the south of Chile. We investigated the behavioral response of A. nodipennis to volatile compounds released from the essential oil of Achillea millefolium and its main constituent using olfactometric bioassays. Gas chromatographic and mass spectral analysis of the A. millefolium essential oil revealed the presence of 11 compounds. Monoterpene β-thujone (96.2%) was the main component of the oil. Other compounds identified were α-thujone, 1,8-cineole, p-cymene, and 4-terpineol, all with percentages below 1%. Both A. millefolium essential oil and thujone exhibited a repellent activity against this insect at the higher doses tested (285.7 ng/cm(2)), demonstrating their potential as repellents for this species.