Comparative study of the simultaneous action of three essential oils on Aspergillus flavus and Sitophilus zeamais Motsch

Maize is among the most important produced and consumed crops in Cameroon. However, the availability of this cereal is limited by post-harvest losses, especially in the course of storage. Therefore, there is an urgent need to overcome this phenomenon through the use of efficient, cheap methods. To this effect, the simultaneous action of three essential oils, obtained by hydrodistillation from leaves of Ocimum gratissimum and Lippia rugosa and fruits of Xylopia aethiopica, on Aspergillus flavus and Sitophilus zeamais was investigated using a 24 factorial design. The three essential oils and the storage time were considered as factors. The results revealed that low volume (60 μl/200 g grain) for O. gratissimum and high volume for L. rugosa (310 μl/200 g grain) and X. aethiopica (250 μl/200 g grain) showed the most important efficiencies against A. flavus and S. zeamais in a 2 weeks storage. Hence, the rate of mortality for S. zeamais was 92% and 89%, respectively, in samples of maize infested by S. zeamais and samples of maize infested by S. zeamais and A. flavus. Ninety five percent of A. flavus conidia were inhibited in samples of maize infested by A. flavus and samples of maize infested by S. zeamais and A. flavus.