The effects of thuja and fir essential oils on house mouse food intake
2015
Jokić, Goran (Institute of Pesticides and Environmental Protection, Belgrade (Serbia)) | Đurović-Pejčev, Rada (Institute of Pesticides and Environmental Protection, Belgrade (Serbia)) | Šćepović, Tanja (Institute of Pesticides and Environmental Protection, Belgrade (Serbia)) | Vukša, Marina (Institute of Pesticides and Environmental Protection, Belgrade (Serbia)) | Đedović, Suzana (Institute of Pesticides and Environmental Protection, Belgrade (Serbia)) | Stojnić, Bojan (Faculty of Agriculture, Belgrade (Serbia))
The house mouse, a worldwide commensal rodent pest, can produce high damage on properties, as well as to crops during vegetation and to agricultural commodities after harvest. By now, the influence of some derivates isolated from coniferous trees on small rodent species diets has been confirmed. In this study we tried to determine the effects of thuja (Fam. Cupressaceae) and fir (Fam. Pinaceae) essential oils as natural sources of strongsmelling organic compounds on house mice diet. Essential oils of the tested plants were isolated by hydrodistillation using a Clevengertype device. A gas chromatographic-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the obtained oils showed a predominant presence of terpenoid compounds, especially alpha-pinene (in thuja oil) and p-mentha-2,4(8) diene (in fir oil). Under standard laboratory conditions, the effects of essential oils of thuja (isolated from needles and seeds, separately) and fir (isolated from needles) on house mice diet were examined. The tested baits were prepared following an EPPO/OEPP standard method (2004) by mixing placebo and 1 ml of essential oil previously diluted in 20 ml of alcohol. Over a period of four days, wild-born house mice chose between placebo and tested bait. Water was available ad lib. The fir essential oil had a repellent effect in house mice diet (bait acceptance and palatability were 24.07 and 0.3170, respectively), while thuja oil (both plant organs) showed neutral or slightly attractive activity (maximum bait acceptance and palatability were 35.15 and 0.5421, respectively). Considering the composition of essential oils, we concluded that p-mentha-2,4(8) diene had a repellent effect in house mice diet. However, the conclusion requires a check in additional trials.
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