Chemical and biocidal investigations on essential oils of some Indian Curcuma species

The chemical investigation on volatile oils of Curcuma longa ( rhizome), C. zedoaria (rhizome), C. aromatica (leaf) and C. amada (rhizome), done by GC and GC-MS. The rhizome oil of C. longa have been found to contain ar-turmerone ( 51.8%), ar-turmerol (11.9%), C. amada, myrcene (80.54%), beta - pinene (4.64%),C. zedoaria,1,8 cineol (18.5%), cymene (18.42%), alpha-phellandrene (14.9%) and leaf oil of C. aromatica,p-cymene (25.2%), 1,8-cineole (24.8%) as principal constituents. The bioassay of these oils indicated C. longa as good antifungal material and cause complete mycelial growth of Colletotrichum falcatum (CF), Fusarium moniliforme (FM), at 1000 ppm and Curvularia Pallescens (CP), Aspergillus niger(AN), Fusarium oxysporium (170), at 2000 ppm concentrations. The C. zedoaria and C. aromatica also cause complete mycelial growth of CIF at 2000 ppm and 3000 ppm concetration respectively. The latter two oils also have also good insecticidal against Odontotermes obesus Rhamb, a pest of sugarcane.