CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS AND INSECTICIDAL ACTIVITY OF THE Miconia ferruginata

Phytochemical investigation of the leaf extracts from Miconia ferruginata (Melastomataceae) led to the isolation and characterization of the flavonoids 5,6,7-trihydroxy-4'-methoxyflavone, 5-hydroxy-7,4'-dimethoxy-8-methylflavone and 5,7,4'-trihydroxy-6,8-dimetilflavone, triterpenes ursolic acid and oleanolic acid, in addition to the steroids β-sitosterol and stigmasterol. The structures of these compounds were proposed by spectroscopic analysis and comparison with literature data. This paper also describes the insecticidal effects of leaf extracts from M. ferruginata to one of the main pests of maize, the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda). The ingestion bioassays, the leaf extracts showed an elongation of the larval stage of 16.56 days as compared to the control.