Abstract
A plant of genus gaggassa belongs to the family of Ericaceae, and has been widely employed by the traditional healers to treat cockroach pest. The objective of this study was to do preliminary phytochemical screening and insecticidal activity of extracted gaggassa (Agarista salicifolia) plant leaves against cockroach. About 10 g of air dried powdered material of leaves was extracted with 90% ethanol, acetone and water using an electric shaker for 24 h. Thereafter, the extract material was concentrated to dryness under reduced pressure and controlled temperature (50°C) using rotary evaporator. Different leaf extract concentrations of 25, 50, 75 and 100%, respectively were implemented in triplicate experiment and mortality was assessed after 4, 8 and 12 h of treatment time interval. The toxicity test extract of plant was carried out by using adult cockroach, and obtained result showed extracts of LC50 of 1.44 mg/mL from water extract and 1.33 mg/mL from ethanol respectively. No mortality was observed in control treatment. Preliminary phytochemical analysis showed the presence of alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids, steroids, tannins and cardiac glycosides. Finally, the high polyphenolic and flavonoid contents of the plants suggest their potential source of botanical insecticides. Overall results suggest that extracts from gaggassa plant leaves showed the highest insecticidal effects on cockroach. Considering the side effect of chemical insecticides to human health, it is suggested that the use of organic insecticides should be encouraged so as to ameliorate health problems, since it is eco-friendly in nature. The plants are good candidates to be developed as sources of natural insecticides for the pest management. Key words: Bioactive compounds, ethanolic extracts, total phenolic content and toxicity.
Highlights
In about 20% of homes without visible evidence especially in the urban environment, cockroaches had mechanically carried and transmit many pathogenic reactions in humans, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa and helminthes (Cochran, 1982)
The utilization of botanical insecticides in cockroach pest control demonstrates to be very promising, mainly due to the environment being less harmful than synthetic pesticides and maximizing the insecticidal effect
The collected plant leaves were washed with tap water to remove sand, dust and other contaminants, air dried in a Chemistry Department laboratory of Hawassa College of Teacher Education (HCTE) for two weeks ensuring sufficient air flow to avoid damping
Summary
In about 20% of homes without visible evidence especially in the urban environment, cockroaches had mechanically carried and transmit many pathogenic reactions in humans, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa and helminthes (Cochran, 1982). They serve as potential causes of bacterial diarrhea and nosocomial infections in hospitals (Agbodaze and Owusu, 1989). The utilization of botanical insecticides in cockroach pest control demonstrates to be very promising, mainly due to the environment being less harmful than synthetic pesticides and maximizing the insecticidal effect.
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