Abstract
Background/Objectives: The toxic synthetic pesticides must be replaced by safe, cheap, non-toxic, target-specific insecticides such as natural plant products. This study is to investigate the ovipositional and eclosion inhibitory activities of five plant products against the pulse beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus infesting green gram (Vigna radiata). Method: Fine powders prepared from various parts of the plants Piper longum, Adhatoda vasica, Illicium verum, Cinnamomum zeylanicum and Syzygium aromaticum at various concentrations (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 g) were added to 30 g of V. radiata seeds and two pairs of adult C. maculatus were introduced. Inhibitory effect of oviposition was studied by counting the number of eggs periodically (24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 hours) and the eclosion failure was also assessed. The control was similar to the experimental setup except for the absence of plant powders. Findings: The oviposition deterrence values which provide a comparison between the control and treatments showed S. aromaticum to be the strongest deterrent with a value of 85.77 followed by C. zeylanicum (76.33), P. longum (66.91), I. verum (62.96) and A. vasica (42.93) at 0.8 g. Also S. aromaticum recorded the highest eclosion failure of 22.06% and the lowest with A. vasica (11.08%) at 0.8 g. Statistical analysis showed an overall significant difference (p < 0.05) between the different plants, concentration wise. Though all the five selected plants exhibited insecticidal activity, S. aromaticum was the strongest in inhibiting oviposition and impairing larval growth of C. maculatus. Novelty: Previous works have demonstrated the insecticidal activity of the essential oils of S. aromaticum and C. zeylanicum but this study has shown that prepared powders of both these spices are quite effective at low concentrations, so can be easily used by farmers. Keywords: Insecticidal; Oviposition deterrence; Callosobruchus maculatus; Syzygium aromaticum; Piper longum; Pest
Highlights
There is a high global demand for plant proteins owing to the rising populations and an increased production of plant proteins is a sustainable approach to meet the ever-increasing nutritional demands [1]
C. maculatus lays eggs on V. radiata grains and the eggs hatch in two days, with the larvae moving into the grains after fifth day
Among the five plant powders S. aromaticum deterred oviposition most at 0.8g where the mean eggs laid in 5 days was 10.8 compared to control with 77.2, followed by C. zeylanicum 18.25
Summary
There is a high global demand for plant proteins owing to the rising populations and an increased production of plant proteins is a sustainable approach to meet the ever-increasing nutritional demands [1]. Vigna radiata L Wilczek., (green gram or mung bean) a highly nutritious pulse is most widely grown in the tropical and subtropical regions [2,3]. A variety of pests infest V. radiata in storage and a common Coleopteran pest, Callosobruchus maculatus (Fab.) the common pulse beetle, is responsible for excessive damage world-wide [4]. India is the largest producer, consumer and importer of pulses in the world and accounts for 45% of the total global production of V. radiata grown over an area of 3.38 million ha [5]. The long term storage of V. radiata is challenged by the infestation of bruchids of the genus, Callosobruchus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) with a sizeable proportion of the production being damaged during storage, within 3-6 months [4,6]. Apart from direct damage to the stored pulses, they promote secondary fungal infections, resulting in mycotoxin contamination [7]
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