Comparative Performances of Jatropha Oil and Garlic Oil with Synthetic Acaricides Against Red Spider Mite Infesting Tea

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Oligonychus coffeae Nietner, the red spider mite, is a major pest of tea (Camellia sinesis L.) in most tea producing countries. The pest is currently managed with synthetic acaricides. There is, however, a growing concern globally about the continuous use of synthetic chemicals on food and beverage crops because of their potential effects on human health and the environment and undesirable residues in made tea. This study aimed at assessing the anti-mite properties of two plant oils (jatropha oil and garlic oil) and three commonly used synthetic acaricides (ethion 50 EC, propargite 57 EC and fenazaquin 10 EC) against O. coffeae in terms of mortality of adults and eggs, repellent effect and oviposition deterrent effect. LC50 values for the adult female mites were 12.426, 13.628, 2.549, 38.83 and 441.89 for garlic oil, jatropha oil, fenazaquin, propargite and ethion, respectively. On the basis of LC50 values for eggs, the descending order of ovicidal toxicity of the tested materials to O. coffeae eggs was fenazaquin (37.42 ppm), followed by jatropha oil (118.54 ppm), garlic oil (312.40 ppm), propargite (433.32 ppm) and ethion (2270 ppm). In addition, repellence test and oviposition deterrence test experiment suggested that jatropha oil and garlic oil were comparable to that of the selected synthetic acaricides. Based on their comparable efficacy with synthetic acaricides, these plant oils may have potential as lead compounds for integrated pest management of red spider mite.