The insecticidal activity of cinnamon essential oils, cinnamon bark, cinnamon technical, cinnamon green leaf oils and their constituents and structurally related compounds against citrus flatid planthopper, Metcalfa pruinosa, was examined using a direct contact application. At 500 mg litre-1 very strong mortality (100%) was observed in cinnamon technical, cinnamon bark, cinnamon green leaf, mortality against flatid planthopper M. pruinosa. The cinnamon oils constituents were identified by GC-MS. The active principles were determined to be hydrocinnamic acid (24 h LC50, 30.66 mg/L), geranic acid (24 h LC50, 31.23 mg/L), cinnamaldehyde (24 h LC50, 32.65 mg/L), hydrocinnamaldehyde (24 h LC50, 39.11 mg/L) and trans-cinnamaldehyede (24 h LC50, 39.54 mg/L) were the most toxic against both nymph and adult of citrus flatid planthopper, M. pruinosa. The moderate activity was observed with cinnamyl acetate, dibutyl pthalate, anethole, α -cyano cinnamic acid, cinnamyl alcohol, methyl cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, 2.4-dihydrocyl cinnamic acid, bornyl acetate (24 h LC50, 53.35- 97.17 mg/L) respectively. The other constituents were showed less or no activity against adult of M. pruinosa. Global efforts to reduce the level of highly toxic synthetic insecticides in the agricultural environment justify further studies on the active cinnamon oils active principles act as potential insecticides for the control of M. pruinosa populations as direct spray with contact action.

The insecticidal activity of 120 plant essential oils and control efficacy of six experimental spray formulations (SF) containing the oils (SF-0.25, 0.5, 1, 2.5, 5 and 10% sprays) against both nymph and adult of citrus flatid planthopper, Metcalfa pruinosa, was examined using a direct contact application. Reponses varied according to dose (1000 mg litre-1 and 500 mg litre-1). Based on 24 h exposure in leaf dipping assay at 1000 mg litre-1 strong mortality was observed in more than 19 essential oils among 130 was screened. At 500 mg litre-1 very strong mortality (100%) was observed in cinnamon technical, cinnamon green leaf, cinnamon #500, cassia tree, citronella java and penny royal followed by origanum, thyme white, grape fruit, savory, fennel sweet, aniseed and cinnamon bark (93.3- 80%) showed considerable moratality against nymphs of M. pruinosa. The moderate mortality was found in thyme red, tagette, calamus, lemoneucalptus and geranium (73.3-60%). The other oil has low or very low mortality against M. pruinosa. The oil applied as SF-10% sprays provided 100% mortality against adult M. pruinosa. In particular cinnamon technical showed very strong (>SF-0.5= 100%) effect followed by cinnamon #500 (>SF-2.5=100%), cinnamon green leaf (>SF-2.5=100%) and penny royal (>SF-2.5=100%) respectively. Global efforts to reduce the level of highly toxic synthetic insecticides in the agricultural environment justify further studies on the active essential oils as potential larvicides for the control of M. pruinosa populations as direct spray with contact action.