Toxicity of Rosmarinus Officinalis Essential Oil against Irradiated Tribolium Castaneum

Management of stored-product insect using gamma radiation could be enhanced by other feasible control methods such as essential oils as potent alternatives to chemical insecticides. In this study, the efficiency of sub-lethal doses of essential oils from Rosmarinus officinalis L. combined with gamma radiation was verified to assess their enhanced toxicity against the adults of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst). Irradiated adult insects by 720, 890 and 1200 Gy doses (LD1, LD5 and LD25) were subjected to three levels of essential oil (LC1, LC5 and LC25). It was shown that using of essential oil from R. officinalis could be statistically increased 2-4 times the intensity of gamma radiation and high mortality levels has been observed in this combination. Also the results showed a synergistic effect between rosemary essential oil and gamma radiation combinations. The results indicated that insecticidal activity of essential oils would be altered to varying degree if the insects already were exposed to radiation. The potential use of integrating essential oils and gamma radiation treatment are discussed for management of the stored-