Efficacy of essential oils of Caesulia axillaris and Mentha arvensis against some storage pests causing biodeterioration of food commodities

The essential oils of Caesulia axillaris and Mentha arvensis have been test ed for their fumigant activity in the management of biodeterioration of sto red wheat samples by Aspergillus flat,us and the insect pests, Sitophilus o ryzae and Tribolium castaneum, at 1300 and 600 ppm, respectively. The findi ngs indicate the, efficacy of the oils as potent fumigants for management o f the biodeterioration of stored wheat samples. The oils also controlled th e blue mould rot of oranges caused by Penicillium italicum and enhanced the market life of the oranges for a considerable period, showing their effica cy as postharvest fungicides of higher plant origin. (C) 2001 Elsevier Scie nce B.V. All rights reserved.