The aim of this research was to obtain and characterize essential oil from leaves of Psidium guajava cv. Pedro Sato, and its possible effects on fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda behavior. The essential oil was obtained through steam distillation, by using a modified Clevenger apparatus, and the chemical composition was later analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectroscopy GC-MS. In order to evaluate the essential oil effect on the armyworm of 1st instars behavior, four treatments were tested; two with oil at 0.01 and 0.001 % in ethanol/water 1:1 concentration; two controls with water and the other with ethanol/water 1:1. The results showed that the above analyzed essential oil constituted of á-terpineole (0.9%), 1,8-cineole (7.0%), â-caryophyllene (7.2%) and the caryophyllene oxide (13.8%). It was also found that the essential oil showed a repellent effect toward the fall armyworm at 0.01% concentration.
1,8 cineole; repellent; insecticide plants; essential oil
