Chemical Composition and Larvicidal Activity of the Essential oil of Alpinia breviligulata (Gagnep.) Gagnep. Against Two Species of Aedes Mosquitoes

Background: Essential oils are promising candidates for the development of next-generation biopesticides, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional synthetic pesticides. Methods: In this study, essential oils from various parts of Alpinia breviligulata were subjected to chemical composition analysis using GC/MS and evaluated for their larvicidal activities against Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes following WHO guidelines. Results: The leaf essential oil is primarily characterized by the main components α-pinene (19.4%), caryophyllene oxide (15.1%), and α-copaene (8.5%). Essential oil from the roots demonstrated α-humulene (12.3%), camphor (10.3%), endo- fenchyl acetate (9.4%), ( E )-β-caryophyllene (7.0%) and α-pinene (5.5%) as its main components. The essential oil of the stems is primarily characterized by the main components caryophyllene oxide (27.7%), humulene epoxide II (6.4%), and α-copaene (5.4%). The compounds β-pinene (18.1%), α-pinene (10.4%), camphene (6.7%) and atractylone (5.0%) are the main components of essential oil extracted from rhizomes. Essential oils of leaves, roots, and rhizomes demonstrated larvicidal activities against Aedes mosquitoes, with 24-h LC 50 values ranging from 14.34 to 21.79 µg/mL. In contrast, the stem essential oil showed 24-h LC 50 values greater than 77.30 µg/mL. Conclusion: The powerful larvicidal activities of the essential oil, coupled with the relative abundance of the plant, suggest that essential oils of A. breviligulata should be considered as a potential source of raw materials for the production of biopesticides to control Aedes mosquitoes.