Chemical composition and insecticidal activities of the essential oils and various extracts of two Thymus species: Thymus cariensis and Thymus cilicicus

In this study, the essential oils and extracts of two Thymus species were investigated for insecticidal potentials against three insect species. The essential oil of T. cariensis showed insecticidal activity causing 56.7 +/- 3.3%, 73.3 +/- 3.3%, and 83.3 +/- 5.1% mortality after 24 h of exposure at 10, 20, and 30 mu L/Petri concentrations, respectively. The chemical composition of essential oils and hexane extracts was analyzed using GC-FID and GC-MS. The major compounds of essential oil of T. cariensis were germacrene D (33.59%) and carvacrol (14.86%), whereas the main compounds of essential oil of T. cilicicus were borneol (16.97%), 1,8-cineol (16.78%), and camphor (12.54%).

Automated summary

The study revealed the insecticidal potential of Thymus essential oils, with the major compounds being germacrene D and carvacrol in T. cariensis. The essential oils showed varying levels of insecticidal activity against the tested insect species.