Oviposition inhibitor in umbelliferous medicinal plants for the common yellow swallowtail ( Papilio machaon )

AbstractUmbelliferous medicinal plants, such asAngelica acutiloba Kitagawa andAngelica dahurica Bentham et Hooker filius ex Franchet et Savatier, account for a large percentage of crude drug consumption in Japan. The most serious problem in the cultivation of umbelliferous medicinal plants is the feeding damage caused by the common yellow swallowtail (Papilio machaon hippocrates C.& R. Felder, 1864). When we compared the numbers of eggs laid byP. machaon on six umbelliferous medicinal plants, the eggs onA. acutiloba,A. dahurica, andGlehnia littoralis Fr. Schmidt ex Miquel were the most numerous, those onSaposhnikovia divaricata Schischkin andCnidium officinale Makino were rare, andBupleurum falcatum Linn é was not oviposited at all. To identify oviposition inhibitors forP. machaon inB. falcatum,S. divaricata, andC. officinale, the volatile chemical constituents of these umbelliferous medicinal plants were compared with GC –MS. We carried out multivariate analysis of gas chromatographic data and concluded that germacrened, α-humulene, andtrans-caryophyllene play important roles in protecting plants from oviposition byP. machaon. Their oviposition repellent activity was confirmed by the fact that the number of eggs laid on the leaves around a repellent device containing a mixture of germacrened, α-humulene, andtrans-caryophyllene was reduced by 40% compared to a control.
Source: Journal of Natural Medicines - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research