Chemical Constituents and Larvicidal Activity of Essential Oil of Lavandula Stoechas (Lamiaceae) From Morocco Against the Malaria Vector Anopheles Labranchiae (Diptera: Culicidae)

The use of synthetic larvicides to control vector populations is detrimental to human and environmental health and selects for insecticide resistance. Plants can be alternative sources of effective and safe mosquito control agents. In the present work the chemical composition and larvicidal activity, of essential oil of Lavandula stoechas (lamiaceae), growing in wilds of Morocco, against the malaria vector Anopheles labranchiae (Diptera: Culicidae), were studied. The obtained percent yield of the hydro-distilled volatile oil from aerial parts of Lavandula stoechas was 1.74 ± 0.24. The GC/MS analysis of Lavandula stoechas essential oil has led to the identification of 20 components. Camphor (36.14%), 1,8-Cineole (25.16%), Camphene (11.44%) and Fenchone (9.08 %), were the major constituents of which. The biological test performed using a methodology that is inspired from WHO standard protocol, revealed that the essential oil of Lavandula has larvicidal properties. The minimal dose required to achieve 100% larvicidal effect on Anopheles labranchiae was 500 mg/l for essential oil of Lavandula stoechas. The Lethal Concentration (LC50 and LC90) values were 112.51 mg/l and 294.51 mg/l respectively. The relationship between the chemical composition and biological activity of essential oil of Lavandula stoechas is confirmed by the above-mentioned results. Therefore, the potential for exploiting these essential oils, such as bioinsecticides for vector control, can be taken into account.