Effect of Myrtus Communis Essential Oil on the Mediterranean Fruit Fly Mating Behaviour

Samia Elfekih* and M. A. Abderrabba

de recherche physico-chimique mol?culaire, IPEST, BP 51, La Marsa 2070 Tunis Tunisia.

ABSTRACT: The Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Wiedmann) is a key agricultural insect pest. It has a wide range of host plants especially citrus trees. Medfly males are strongly attracted to plant semiochemicals. Exposure to such substance increased their mating success. In the current study, it was investigated whether a similar effect resulted from male exposure to the myrtle (M. communis) essential oil. Myrtle is a perennial shrub belonging to the Myrtaceae family and is widely distributed in the Mediterranean area. Myrtle essential oil was extracted and analysed by GC and GC-MS. The chemical composition revealed that most of the major components are monoterpenes (1,8-Cineole, alpha-pinene, Linalool, Limonene) and are similary found in citrus flavedo and orange essential oil. Laboratory trials suggest that exposure to myrtle essential oil significantly enhanced the medfly mating behaviour. It can be inferred from these tests that the myrtle essential oil can be used in insect pest management strategies such as the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), to improve the mating competitiveness of sterile mass-reared males compared to wild males and therefore contribute to significant reduction of the medfly populations in fruit orchards.

KEYWORDS: Myrtus communis; monoterpenes; Ceratitis capitata; mating behaviour

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