Repellent and fumigant activity of Alpinia officinarum rhizome extract against Tribolium castaneum (Herbst)

The plant extract was prepared by Soxhlet method with anhydrous diethyl ether from Alpinia officinarum rhizome, a traditional Chinese herbal plant, and its repellent and fumigant activity was investigated against Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) adults. The A. officinarumrhizome extract had potent repellent activity against T. castaneum adults with over 80% repellency values at the tested concentration (A. officinarum extract: acetone = 1:10, v/v) during 48 h of exposure time. A. officinarum rhizome extract exhibited strong fumigant activity in a dosage-dependent manner against T. castaneum adults with 75% mortality at a dosage of 80 µl/l air after 48 h exposure. These naturally occurring plant extracts could be useful for managing populations of T. castaneum.   Key words: Alpinia officinarum rhizome extract, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), fumigant activity, repellent activity, plant extract.