Abstract
Particularly rich in nutritional elements, and with excellent agronomic characteristics, sweet potato (<i>Ipomoea batatas</i>) is an important crop for food security. It has the potential to improve the nutritional status of rural populations in an inexpensive and sustainable way. In Côte d'Ivoire, sweet potato is grown in all regions, but is unfortunately faced with a number of phytosanitary problems, in particular <i>Cylas puncticollis</i>, weevil which is the main threat. This insect can cause crop losses of up to 97%. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a biopesticide based on lemongrass (<i>Cymbopogon citratus</i>) essential oil against <i>C. puncticollis</i>. Five doses (1%, 2%, 4%, 8% and 16%) of biopesticide were prepared from essential oil extracted from lemongrass. These different doses were applied to sweet potato leaves fed to adult <i>C. puncticollis</i> individuals reared in the laboratory, compared with an untreated control. Monitoring of the weevil mortality rate for each treatment over 15 days showed that the 8% and 16% doses were the most effective, with mortality rates of 87% and 97% respectively one week after application. These preliminary results constitute an important step in the evaluation of the possibility of using the essential oil of <i>C. citratus</i> in an integrated management strategy for sweet potato weevils.
Published Version
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