Green synthesis and evaluation of silver nanoparticles against green peach aphids M. persicae (Sulzer)

Abstract

Green silver nanoparticles were synthesized from plant extracts of Lantana camara L., Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC., Calotropis gigantea (L.), Catharanthus roseus (L.), Parthenium hysterophorus L. and they were evaluated against green peach aphids M. persicae (Sulzer) under laboratory condition. The synthesis of nanoparticles was confirmed by colour change (pale green to dark brown) of the solution after a day of mixing the plant extract with silver nitrate solution and further confirmed with plasmon peaks under UV-Visible spectroscopy (300 - 350 nm). The results of leaf dip bioassay revealed that the efficacy of green silver nanoparticles against aphids was highest in green silver nanoparticles of C. gigantea followed by L. camara and recorded 88.89 and 88.11% mortality of aphids, respectively. The outcome of study paves way for green synthesis of nanoparticles instead of chemical synthesis.