Utilization of plant waste as botanical pesticide for citrus pest control

Abstract

Organic wastes from plants that contain certain secondary metabolite compounds can be used as botanical pesticides. In this study, the plant wastes used were chrysanthemum flower, JC citrus peel and foliage of tobacco. The botanical pesticides were tested for their effectiveness against the main pests of citrus that were citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri and citrus aphids Toxoptera citricidus. The study aimed to determine the effectiveness of botanical pesticides from plant wastes against both target pests. The three materials were extracted and processed by maceration method with methanol solvent. The test was arranged in a Randomized Block Design consisting of 12 treatments, that were the test concentration for each ingredient was 0.5 %; 0.75 % and 1 %, comparative chemical insecticides dimethoat and imidacloprid, and control. The treatment consisted of two units for each target pest and repeated 4 times. The test results showed that the botanical insecticide from tobacco foliage was the most effective against both target pests compared to those from chrysanthemums flower and JC citrus peel. The insecticide tested was more effective against citrus aphids T. citricidus compared to citrus psyllid D. citri, as evidenced by the shorter time to achieve the mortality. For tobacco insecticides, further testing with lower concentrations is needed to determine the exact and effective test concentration, so that the use of materials is more efficient.