Abstract
The protection of wood against biodeteriorating agents like termite during processing or in service has call for serious possible approach using new safer, environmental friendly preservatives hence this study therefore evaluated Azadirachta indica seed oil against termite attack on Gmelina arborea and Triplochiton scleroxylon wood. The seed oil was obtained using a soxhlet apparatus and N-hexane as the solvent. The wood was dimensioned into 20x20x20 mm and the seed oil was applied by brushing, dipping and soaking and exposed to termitarium while the absorption rate and weight loss to termite attack were determined. Data collected was analyzed using simple statistics and analysis of variance at α0.05. The antimicrobial properties of the need seed oil are due to the availability of phytochemicals which promote antimicrobial activity. The maximum wood protection against termite of all the methods of application was obtained from soaking. The absorption and weight loss ranged from 11.20 - 43.88 % and 56.50 -61.58 % for G. arborea and T. scleroxylon respectively. However, all the application methods used for the wood treatment proved to be effective over the untreated wood.
 Keywords: phytochemicals, seed oil, wood species, wood preservation, wood termite
Highlights
The protection of wood against biodeteriorating agents like termite during processing or in service has call for serious possible approach using new safer, environmental friendly preservatives this study evaluated Azadirachta indica seed oil against termite attack on Gmelina arborea and Triplochiton scleroxylon wood
The results revealed that seed extracts of medicinal plant offers a source of naturally occurring chemicals like alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, steroids, tannins, terpenoids, and phenolic with 2141.7, 1418.3, 43.3, 218.3, 975.0, 826.7 mg/100g and 62 GAE/g. respectively
Mahmood et al, (2008) affirmed that these compounds serve to protect the plant against infections by microorganisms, predations by insects and herbivores, while their odor and flavor are responsible for their pigments
Summary
The protection of wood against biodeteriorating agents like termite during processing or in service has call for serious possible approach using new safer, environmental friendly preservatives this study evaluated Azadirachta indica seed oil against termite attack on Gmelina arborea and Triplochiton scleroxylon wood. The wood was dimensioned into 20x20x20 mm and the seed oil was applied by brushing, dipping and soaking and exposed to termitarium while the absorption rate and weight loss to termite attack were determined. The oil from seeds of tree species to produce biodegradable chemical capable of prolonging service life of nondurable wood is a promising approach to wood preservation. This study is aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of seed oil from A. indica (Neem) against wood decaying termite using selected tropical wood species with a view to promoting environmental friendly preservatives
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