TERMITE ANTIFEEDANT ACTIVITY IN TROPICAL PLANTS .3. TERMITE ANTIFEEDANT ACTIVITY IN DETARIUM-MICROCARPUM

A methanol extract of Detarium microcarpum leaves exhibited strong fee ding deterrent activity against workers of the subterranean termite, R eticulitermes speratus in a paper disk choice bioassay. Bioassay direc ted fractionation led to the isolation of four clerodane diterpenes, 3 ,13E-clerodien-15-oic acid, 4(18), 13E-clerodien-15-oic acid, 18-oxo-3 ,13E-clerodien-15-oic acid and 2-oxo-3,13E-clerodien-15-oic acid as th e active compounds. With the exception of the latter, this is the firs t report of these compounds from D. microcarpum. The four compounds po ssessed strong antifeedant activity at 1% and their structures were co nfirmed by spectroscopic methods.