Essential oils as grain protectants against pulse beetle Callosobruchus chinensis (L.) infesting pea seeds

Six plant essential oils viz. camphor (Cinnamomum camphora L.), wild marigold (Tegetes minuta L.), cone-bearing sage (Meriandra strobilifera B.), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus sp.), lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus L.) and sweet flag (Acorus calamus L.) were evaluated against pulse beetle, Callosobruchus chinensis (L.) in the Department of Seed Science and Technology, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan. All the essential oils were effective against pulse beetle upto two months of treatment. Among them, the treatment with sweetflag recorded the maximum mean mortality (70%) and found effective against C. chinensis. All the tested essential oils at 2.5 ml/kg inhibited oviposition and progeny development of pulse beetle upto 6 and 8 months after treatment, respectively. Seed damage by pulse beetle was protected with sweet flag upto 8 months of treatment with maximum seed germination (82.67%), seed vigour index-I(1796.62) and II (1965.90) using 2.5 ml/kg.