Seed Kernel Extract Research Articles

Antioxidant Properties of Jatropha curcas L. Seed Shell and Kernel Extracts

The purpose of this study was to determine the antioxidant activity of the seed shells and kernels of Jatropha curcas L. The extracts obtained from five solutions (0%–95% ethanol) were tested and compared. Overall, the antioxidant capacity of seed shell extracts was higher than that of seed kernel extracts. The seed shell extract obtained using 95% ethanol exhibited the best antioxidant activity among the five solutions. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and free radical scavenging ability of 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) were 13.63 ± 0.15 and 6.75 ± 0.51 μg/mL, respectively. The reduction ability and total phenol content were 95.14 ± 27.04 μg ascorbic acid equivalents/mg of extract and 536.33 ± 8.62 μg gallic acid equivalents/mg of extract, respectively. In in vitro cytotoxicity assays, solutions with less than 250 μg/mL of seed shell extract had no major cytotoxicity. The seed shell of Jatropha curcas L. can be used as an antioxidant material and has potential for biomedical applications.

Restricting lepidopteran herbivory through trap cropping and bird perches in Egyptian clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.)

The Egyptian clover L. is a winter season leguminous forage that supports a great diversity of insect pest populations in the Northern Indian Plains. In the context of evolving non-chemical approach for pest control, different trap crops viz. marigold, Tagetes erecta: chickpea, Cicer arietinum L.; and sunflower, Helianthus annuus, were planted as border rows around the clover plots to trap lepidopteran larvae. The push and pull strategy was further augmented by the help of neem seed kernel extract (NSKE) 3% spray on the main crop. Services of insectivorous birds were utilized through T-shaped bird perches for feeding on lepidopteran larvae. The lowest larval population of Helicoverpa armigera (2.29 individuals/m row length) was recorded in the plots with the trap crops such as marigold and bird perches, and those that received neem insecticidal sprays which indicated the decrease of larval population due to the repellant action of neem gave (75.8%) a reduction in larval population than the sole cropped plots, followed by chickpea (2.58 larvae; 72.8%) reduction in larval population and sunflower (3.53 larvae; 63%). Sunflower recorded the highest number of H. armigera population, at flowering stage of berseem which depicted the suitability of sunflower for the attractiveness of low number of the larvae (2.75 larvae/m row length) on berseem. The plots with berseem as a sole crop without any control measure exhibited significantly high H. armigera larvae (12.95 larvae per meter row length). The fecundity of pod borer on different trap crops revealed the highest fecundity population (7.25 larvae) of Helicoverpa on either chickpea or sunflower as trap crops. During the vegetative phase of berseem and the flowering stage of marigold and sunflower, these were recorded as favorable hosts. The highest green fodder yield (GFY; 1115 q/ha) was recorded in plots sown with marigold as the trap crop and with bird perches and in plots that received NSKE sprays as compared to sole cropped plots (700 q/ha). The data on seed yield also revealed superiority of berseem plots with sunflower, as a trap crop, and also a high parasitization by parasitoids.

Efficacy of insecticides and botanicals against the mango hopper Idioscopus clypealis

Against the mango hopper Idioscopus clypealis, four insecticides viz., pymetrozine, spinosad, abamectin and acetamiprid and three botanicals (karanj oil, limonene and neem seed kernel extract) were evaluated. Pymetrozine was the most effective against all stages followed by acetamiprid. Among botanicals, limonene was the most effective.

In vitro evaluation of biorationals and their mixed compounds against the melon aphid Aphis gossypii Glover

In recent days sucking pests are getting more attention due to their efficiency to withstand the chemical pesticides by various mechanisms like resistance and resurgence. Usage of chemical pesticides can be reduced by using the biorational pesticides. Biorationals are any type of insecticides active against pest populations, but relatively innocuous to non target organisms and therefore, helpful in biological control. Here some of the biorationals and their mixers are tested against aphids (Aphis gossypii Glover) under laboratory condition in order to find the best biorational pesticide and their combination which leads maximum mortality of aphids and could serve as a better alternative for the chemical pesticides. Four botanicals {Neem seed kernel extract (NSKE), Pongamia seed extract (PSE), Custard apple seed extract (CASE) and Asafoetida}, two entomopathogenic fungi (Beauvaria bassiana and Lecaenicillium lecanii), one organic oil product {Agricultural spray oil (ASO) @ 2ml/l} and five combinations of them has been tried. Among the combinations tested, Agricultural spray oil + Custard apple seed extract + Pongamia seed extract + Neem seed kernel extract (2:1:2:2) @5% has given higher cumulative mortality (100%) after 72 hrs of treatment. And the most efficient entomopathonenic fungus against A. gossypii was Lecaenicillium lecanii IOF 1 strain which gave the mortality percent of 83.40. The steps, results and the future aspects of the study are discussed briefly in this paper.

Efficacy of Phlogocanthus thyrsiflorus against Oligonychus coffeae and Helopeltis theivora in Tea

Laboratory experiments were conducted at the Department of Entomology, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat during 2016–18 to evaluate the efficacy of solvent extracts of Phlogocanthus thyrsiflorus against Oligonychus coffeae Nietner and Helopeltis theivora Waterhouse attacking tea. The extracts were compared with neem seed kernel extract 0.15%, fenpyroximate 5EC (for O. coffeae) and deltamethrin 2.8EC (for H. theivora). The methanolic extract exhibited a strong acaricidal property with 100% adult mortality of O. coffeae at 48 hr after treatment (HAT), while the petroleum ether and water extracts led to 98.33% and 55.00% mortality, respectively. The methanolic extract led to only 26.67% mortality with H. theivora adults at 10.0% concentration after 48 HAT. The methanolic leaf extract against O. coffeae was thus comparable with fenpyroximate 5 EC @ 1ml/l at 48 HAT with 100% adult mortality. The order of toxicity in terms of LC50 values of leaf extract of P. thyrsiflorus against O. coffeae was: methanol (0.531%) >petroleum ether (0.602%) >water (7.692%); as against methanol (28.348%) >petroleum ether (35.560%) >water (38.873%) in case of H. theivora.

Effect of mango seed kernel extract on polyphenol oxidase inhibition and shelf life of shrimp during iced storage

Effect of mango seed kernel extract on polyphenol oxidase inhibition and shelf life of shrimp during iced storage

Bioefficacy of different biopesticides against major foliage feeders on soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill

Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of different biopesticides, viz., Nomuraea rileyi @ 1x10 8 conidia/lit, Beauveria bassiana @ 1x10 9 CFU/ml minimum @ 5 ml/lit, Metarhizium anisopliae @ 1x10 9 CFU/ml minimum @ 5 ml/lit, dipel @ 1 kg/ha, spinosad 45 SC @ 0.5 ml/lit, neem seed kernel extract (NSKE) @ 5% and neem oil @ 2% against foliage feeders of soybean namely, semi looper ( Chrysodeixis acuta ) and tobacco caterpillar ( Spodoptera litura ) during Kharif, 2016. The result revealed that all treatments were significantly superior over control. The mean larval population of C. acuta and S. litura ranged from 1.29 to 9.37 and 0.92 to 6.98 larvae per meter row length (mrl) at 3, 7 and 10 days respectively after the application of treatments. The treatments comprising Spinosad 45 SC @ 0.5 ml/lit proved highly effective in reducing the population of C. acuta and S. litura with lowest overall mean larval population of 4.71 and 3.02 larvae per mrl, respectively. Against C. acuta NSKE @ 5% was least effective and against S. litura neem oil was observed as least effective with maximum over all mean larval populations of 7.75 and 4.97, respectively.

Efficacy of botanical extracts and panchagavya against bhendi shoot and fruit borer, Earias vittella (Fab.)

Shoot and fruit borer, Earias vittella (Fab.) is commonly encountered and economically important insect pest on okra (bhendi). Experiments were carried out to investigate the antifeedent and mortality activities of panchagavya alone and in combination with plant extracts against E. vittella in the laboratory and to evaluate the effectiveness in the field during rabi and kharif 2017 at C. Mutlur, Chidambaram. This study assessed five binary botanical extracts mixture with panchagavya used in vitro which included extracts containing panchagavya, neem leaf extract (NLE) 5%, Prosophis leaf extract 5%, Calotropis leaf extract 5%, Pungam oil 3% and NSKE 5%. Fruit disc no-choice methods were performed in a laboratory using bhendi fruit to determine the antifeedant activity and per cent mortality. Results indicated that all binary mixtures showed antifeedant activity and highest recorded was in NLE (5%) + panchagavya (3%) (65.11%) and was on par with NSKE (5%) (64.84%) and the highest mortality was recorded in panchagavya (3%) + NSKE (5%) (83.33%) followed by pungam oil 3% + panchagavya 3% (66.67%) and NLE 5% + panchagavya 3% (53.33%). Field studies indicated that highest per cent reduction of E. vittella was recorded in panchagavya (3%) + Neem Seed Kernel Extract (NSKE) (5%) treated plot followed by pungam oil 3% + panchagavya 3% and Neem Leaf Extract (NLE) 5% + panchagavya 3%. The field studies demonstrated that NSKE 5% in combination with panchagavya were effective in the management of E. vittella and could be an efective alternative to synthetic pesticides.

Annona muricata: An alternate mosquito control agent with special reference to inhibition of detoxifying enzymes in Aedes aegypti.

This study was aimed to investigate an effectual level of Annona muricata (soursop) extracts on mosquito vectors namely, Aedes aegypti, Anopheles stephensi and Culex quinquefasciatus. The toxicity study on non-target organism and other important biochemical marker enzymes to find and illustrate the exact mechanism of specific enzymes responsible for detoxifying allelochemicals. Among the various soursop seed kernel extracts tested for larvicidal activity, the 0.9% saline extract exhibited maximum mortality (100%) against three vectors at the lowest concentration for 24h exposure. Based on these findings, the saline extract was opted for further studies including toxicity on non-target organism and systemic effects on important biochemical constituents in the larvae A. aegypti at the lethal threshold time (18h) with LC50 concentration (0.009mg/mL). The tested extract against non-target aquatic fourth instar larvae Chironomus costatus was safe up to 0.0028mg/mL for 24h exposure and the mortality was observed only above the concentration 0.0028mg/mL used in the study. The systemic effects on main neuron transmitter Acetylcholinesterase (p≤0.01), xenobiotics detoxifying enzyme of α-and β-carboxylesterase (p≤0.05; p≤0.01) and antioxidant enzyme glutathione S-transferase (p≤0.05) were reduced significantly in quantitative analysis. Analysis of such biochemical constituents of proteins and enzymes α-and β-carboxylesterase were considerably down regulated in the resolving native-PAGE. In contrast, acid and alkaline phosphatase were upregulated in both quantitative and qualitative analysis. This investigation clearly demonstrates the soursop extract has potent larvicidal agent with alterations in biochemical constituents of exposed larvae of A. aegypti.

EFFICACY OF BIOPESTICIDES IN THE MANAGEMENT OF POD BORER, ETIELLA ZINCKENELLA (TREITSCHKE) (PYRALIDAE: LEPIDOPTERA) INFESTING SENNA, CASSIA ANGUSTIFOLIA VAHL.

Cassia angustifolia Vahl. is an important medicinal plant belonging to the family Leguminaceae. Like other plants, medicinal plants too have to bear the attack of injurious insect pests. Extensive monitoring and development of eco-friendly pest management practices are essential in the production of high quality, pesticide residue free produces. Results of field experiments revealed that among the treatments, foliar application of chlorpyriphos 20 EC (standard check) @ 1.0 L/ha was significantly superior over all other treatments, recording the lowest number of pod borer and the untreated control was significantly inferior, recording maximum number of pod borers per plant. Among the biopesticides tested, neem seed kernel extract 5 per cent showed maximum efficacy with the least number of pod borer per plant, followed by neem oil 3 per cent, Bacillus thuringiensis @ 750g/ha and Beauveria bassiana @ 2 kg/ha, which were statistically on par in their efficacy. Results on the efficacy of biopesticides on pod damage revealed that Bacillus thuringiensis @ 750 g/ha showed promising efficacy with the minimum pod damage at 14 DAT, followed by neem seed kernel extract 5 per cent. Regarding yield, neem seed kernel extract 5 per cent treated plots recorded maximum leaf and pod (dry) yield followed by neem oil 3 per cent and Bacillus thuringiensis @ 750 g/ha. Hence, neem seed kernel extract 5 per cent can be recommended as suitable biopesticide for the management of pod borer, Etiella zinckenella infesting senna, C. angustifolia. Keywords: Cassia angustifolia, Pod borer, Etiella zinckenella, Bio-pesticides, Yield

Pesticides and Neem Seed Kernel Extract on Blights and Tuta absoluta at Different Phenological Stages of Tomato in Hamelmalo Agricultural College, Eritrea

Tomato in Eritrea is affected by nearly 30 diseases and insect pests among which blight, leaf curl virus, root-knot nematodes, powdery mildew, Tuta absoluta, Helicoverpa armigera, aphids, whitefly and red spider mites are the most important. In the field, experiments were conducted in Hamelmalo Agricultural College for two consecutive seasons (2015 and 2016) in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. Treatments used were pesticides (mancozeb, dimethoate, deltamethrin) and aqueous Neem seed kernel extract and their combinations. Disease incidence (DI), Disease severity (DS) of blights and infestations of Tuta absoluta [Lepidoptera:Gelechiidae] were assessed at different phenological stages of the crop. Mancozeb alone was not so effective to reduce either DI or DS or damage of plants but it causes declining the number of larvae of T. absoluta at flowering stage. T11 showed the highest control of DI, DS and reduced the larval population of T. absoluta per plot and minimized the damage level. Among all the treatments, T11 and T9 were the most effective to reduce the damage of plants and minimizing the larvae of T. absoluta at fruiting stage. Neem extract had the least effect than all treatments. Mancozeb (T1) and combinations of Mancozeb + Dimethoate + NSE (T11) gave significantly higher marketable yield than other treatments. The overall Cost-Benefit Ratio (CBR) was similar for all treatments during the two crop seasons, but the average CBR was higher for T11 whereas it was least for T3.

In-Vitro Effects of Ricinus Communis Seed Kernel Extract On Some Antioxidant And Hydrolytic Enzymes In Nymph And Adult Zonocerus Variegatus (Grasshopper)

Background: Many plants have been identified for their insecticidal properties as alternatives to synthetic ones, which are toxic to untargeted organisms and environment. Ricinus communis (Castor) has been re-ported to exhibit insecticidal properties against insect pests. Zonocerus variegatus (Grasshopper) is a notable pest of several crops, and has been linked with great economic losses to farmers. The present study investigates the in-vitro toxicity of R. communis seed kernel extract (RCSKE) on the activities of selected antioxidant and hydrolytic enzymes in nymph and adult Zonocerus variegatus (Grasshopper), using cypermethrin (CYPER-M) and chlorpyrifos (CPF) as standard conventional pesticides. Methods: Seed kernel of Ricinus communis (Castor) was subjected to acidified aqueous extraction to obtain the extract (RCSKE). Crude enzyme preparations were obtained from nymph and adult Z. variegatus grass-hoppers. The in-vitro effects of different concentrations (15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90 and 105μg/ml) each of RCSKE, CYPER-M and CPF on the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and carboxylesterase (CES) in crude enzyme preparations were estimated spectrophotometrically. The level of statistical significance was 0.05. Results: The RCSKE significantly reduced the in-vitro SOD activity (p < 0.05) in nymph Z. variegatus at all the concentrations, whereas both CYPER-M and CPF significantly reduced the activity only at certain concentrations. The CAT activity in the nymph was significantly decreased by RCSKE and CPF at all the concentrations, but CYPER-M decreased it only at certain concentrations. In adult Z. variegatus, SOD activity was not significantly affected (p > 0.05), while CAT activity was significantly increased (p < 0.05) by the three agents at all the concentrations. The AChE and CES activities in the nymph were significantly reduced by RCSKE, CYPER-M and CPF at all the concentrations. The RCSKE and CPF significantly increased the CES activity, while CYPER-M caused a significant decrease in the activity in adult Z. variegatus. Conclusion: The seed kernel extract of Ricinus communis is an effective pesticidal agent and hence, it could be a source of biopesticide alternative with greater potential than cypermethrin and chlorpyrifos. In addition, the antioxidant, acetylcholinesterase and carboxylesterase enzymes in the nymphs of Z. variegatus grasshoppers are more susceptible to the effect of the extract than in the adult grasshoppers.

Incidence of Debarking by Caterpillar, Indarbela quadrinotata Walker on Casuarina equisetifolia in Tamil Nadu and its Management

Casuarina equisetifolia is an exotic, fast growing, multipurpose tree species grown in Tamil Nadu. Altogether, about 40 species of insects have been recorded on C. equisetifolia in Tamil Nadu State. Among them, the bark eating caterpillar, Indarbela quadrinotata is considered as the most destructive pest in plantations. Wide variation in the infestation levels of bark eating caterpillar was noticed in Casuarina plantations grown under four agro-climatic zones of Tamil Nadu; the Cauvery Delta Zone showed highest intensity of attack, followed by the North Eastern Zone and the Southern Zone in the decreasing order of infestation, while the High Rainfall Zone was not affected by the pest. Plantations of younger age suffered from higher levels of infestation, compared to that of older ones. Among the climatological parameters, the minimum temperature had significant positive correlation with the pest infestation. Apart from the naturally occurring entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana, the botanical formulations such as Melia azedarach seed kernel extract (5%), Pongamia pinnata seed oil (5%), Hydnocarpus pentandra seed oil (10,000 ppm) and Neem oil (5%) were found to be very effective in managing the pest under field condition.

Cytotoxic potentials of S. cumini methanolic seed kernel extract in human hepatoma HepG2 cells.

Syzygium cumini (Myrtaceae) is commonly called as Jamun or Jambolan. It has antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and antioxidant activities. Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most frequent and deadliest cancers worldwide. We investigated the cytotoxic potentials of S. cumini methanolic seed kernel extract against human hepatoma HepG2 cells. HepG2 cells were treated with 10, 20, and 40 μg/mL of seed kernel extract for 24 hours and cytotoxic analysis was performed by MTT assay. S. cumini induced apoptosis related morphological changes in HepG2 cells were analyzed by annexin V and propidium iodide double staining. Nuclear fragmentation and chromatin condensation were analyzed by Hoechst nuclear staining. Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was investigated by 5,5',6,6'-tetrachloro-1,1',3,3'-tetraethylbenzimidazolyl-carbocyanine iodide (JC-1) staining. Protein expressions of hepatocyte nuclear factor-1α (HFN-1α) was performed using western blotting. S. cumini treatments caused a significant and a concentration-dependent increase in the cytotoxicity of HepG2 cells. S. cumini treatments increased the percentage of cells in an early and late apoptosis stage. This treatment also caused chromatin condensation and nuclear fragmentation. Further, S. cumini treatments decreased MMP and also caused a significant downregulation of HFN-1α protein expression. The present study demonstrated that S. cumini seed extract induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells through decrease in MMP and downregulation of HFN-1α.

Properties and characteristics of novel formaldehyde-free wood adhesives prepared from Irvingia gabonensis and Irvingia wombolu seed kernel extracts

There is renewed interest in the domestication of Irvingia tree species due to the potential use of various parts of the tree as raw materials for a wide range of applications such as biodiesel production, cosmetics, perfumes, soap, weight-loss supplement etc. The current study investigates the properties of extracts from the seed kernels of two Irvingia species – Irvingia gabonensis (IG) and Irvingia wombolu (IW) as natural wood adhesives. Three extraction methods using various solvent/solute media were compared in terms of yield, composition and mechanical properties. Statistically, the analysis revealed significant differences between the different extraction methods. The adhesion properties of the extracts were tested on wood veneers according to the American Society for Testing and Materials standard (ASTM D – 906-64). The shear strength of the extracts ranged from 0.55 to 1.5 MPa and 0.86–1.7 MPa for IG and IW, respectively. The initial decomposition temperature of all Irvingia Kernel extract ranges from 138.3 to 149.11 °C for IG and 129.5–145.3 °C for IW. As a result, the hot melt temperature for the adhesive experiments was set around 150 °C. The results indicate that Irvingia kernel extract is a more promising source of non-formaldehyde based adhesives in wood composite production.

Chemical analysis of Ricinus communis L. (Euphorbiaceace) seed kernel extract and its in-vitro toxicity in two Podagrica Species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Since synthetic pesticides are associated with many toxicological problems against untargeted subjects, pesticides from botanical sources become a better option. This study obtained R. communis seed kernel extract (RCSKE) through acidified aqueous extraction. The extract was screened using Infra red (IR) and Ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy, High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Cass Chromatography (GC) for bioactive agents. In-vitro effects of RCSKE, chlorpyrifos (CPF) and cypermethrin (CYPER-M) on superoxide dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT), acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and Carboxylesterase (CE) activities in Podagrica sjosdteti and Podagrica uniforma were determined spectrophotometrically. The IR and UV of RCSKE majorly depict the presence of aromatic ring, ethylenic bond, carbonyl bond, hydroxyl and carboxylic groups. The HPLC and GC majorly show the presence of ricinoleic acid, ricinine and ricin. The RCSKE, CYPER-M and CPF increased CAT activity in P. sjosdteti , but reduced it in P. uniforma . The RCSKE and CYPER-M significantly reduced SOD, and elevated AChE activities in P. sjosdteti . The IC 50 values of RCSKE, CYPER-M and CPF against CE activity in P. sjosdteti were IC 50 = 2.66 µg/ml, IC 50 = 2.37µg/ml and IC 50 = 2.65 µg/ml), respectively, while that of RCSKE against P. uniforma was IC 50 = 2.49 µg/ml. This study suggests that the extract of Ricinus communis seed kernel contains bioactive substances, capable to inhibit the antioxidant, acetylcholinesterase and carboxylesterase enzymes in Podagrica species flea beetles, comparable to commercial pesticides, Cypermethrin and Chlorpyrifos. Key words: Ricinus communis , Chemical screening, Podagrica sjosdteti , Podagrica uniforma , antioxidant enzymes, hydrolytic enzymes DOI : 10.7176/ALST/75-05 Publication date :June 30 th 2019

Supercritical antisolvent fractionation as a tool for enhancing antiproliferative activity of mango seed kernel extracts against colon cancer cells

Mango seed kernel (MSK) has demonstrated to be a valuable source of bioactive phenolic compounds with antiproliferative activity against colon cancer cell lines. In this work, a phenolic MSK extract obtained by sequential pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) was submitted to supercritical antisolvent fractionation (SAF) to attain enriched fractions with improved inhibitory effect on HT-29 colon cancer cells. SAF was optimized using a Box-Behnken experimental design and considering as main factors: pressure, percentage of water in the feed extract and feed/sc−CO2 flow rate ratio. The highest inhibitory cell proliferation effect (70.51 ± 1.14%) was obtained in the extract using 50% of water v/v in the feed and 0.0625 feed/sc−CO2 ratio at 15 MPa. A targeted phytochemical profiling by LC-q-TOF-MS/MS followed by a multivariate statistical analysis of the observed bioactivity and the chemical composition evidenced the presence of characteristic compounds which might explain the enhanced antiproliferative activity of the optimal SAF extract.

Effects of Azadirachta indica seed kernel extracts on early erythrocytic schizogony of Plasmodium berghei and pro-inflammatory response in inbred mice

BackgroundMedicinal plant research may contribute to develop new pharmacological control tools for vector borne diseases, such as malaria.MethodsThe effects of methanol extracts (ME) obtained from seed kernel of ripe and unripe Azadirachta indica fruits were studied on erythrocytic proliferation of the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei strain ANKA and on mice pro-inflammatory response, as evaluated by measuring the matrix-metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) plasma levels, in two mouse strains (C57BL/6 and BALB/c) which are considered as prototypical of Th1 and Th2 immune response, respectively.ResultsME obtained from seed kernel of unripe Azadirachta indica fruits decreased by about 30% the proportion of erythrocytes infected with the malaria parasite in C57BL/6 mice in the 4 days suppressive test. In this treatment group, MMP-9 and TNF levels were notably higher than those measured in the same mouse strain treated with the anti-malarial drug artesunate, Azadirachta indica kernel extracts from ripe fruits or solvent. In BALB/c mice, treatment with kernel extracts did not influence parasitaemia. MMP-9 and TNF levels measured in this mouse strain were notably lower than those recorded in C57BL/6 mice and did not vary among treatment groups.ConclusionsThe effects of the ME on the parasite-host interactions appeared to be mouse strain-dependent, but also related to the ripening stage of the neem fruits, as only the unripe fruit seed kernel extracts displayed appreciable bioactivity.

Evaluation of various IPM modules against foliage feeding insect-pests of Rice

Five Integrated Pest Management (IPM) modules were tested along with untreated control against the foliage feeding insects in rice. Over two years, the IPM module having nursery treatment with fipronil 0.3G @ 20 kg/ha + chlorantraniliprole 0.4G @ 10 kg/ha at 40 days after transplanting + buprofezin 25% SC @ 825 ml/ha foliar spray at 65 days after transplanting proved to be most effective in controlling leaf folder and case worm having highest benefit cost ratio (1.89). The treatment module constituting nursery treatment with fipronil 0.3G @ 20 kg/ha + Trichogramma japonicum + Beauveria bassiana @ 2 lt/ha foliar spray at 30 and 50 days after transplanting + neem seed kernel extract (5%) spray at 65 days after transplanting’ performed second best with respect to leaf folder and caseworm management; however showed superiority in suppressing hispa and whorl maggot, achieved benefit cost ratio (1.71). In the present context of increasing trend of insecticide resistance by the pests and environmental hazards, this experiment had the interesting finding that biopesticides, botanicals and green level pesticides can be a safe alternative which can compensate the efficacy of conventional pesticides in the management of rice insect pests.

Assessment of Azadirachta indica seed kernel extracts to restrict the rampancy of antinematicidal –resistant Haemonchus contortus in ovine

Assessment of Azadirachta indica seed kernel extracts to restrict the rampancy of antinematicidal –resistant Haemonchus contortus in ovine