EFFICACY OF LARVICIDAL BOTANICAL EXTRACTS OF CLEOPATRA MANDARIN (CITRUS RESHNI) AGAINST CULEX PIPIENS (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE)
Sabah M. A. Mohamed1, Dalia I. Hamdan2, Rehab H. Abdulla2, Maged E. S. Mohamed2 , Afaf A. Taha1 , Ghada M. Fathy1, and Assem M. El-Shazly2
1Department of Parasitology Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Egypt
2Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Zagazig University, Egypt
Plant extracts, especially botanical insecticides, are currently studied more and more because of the possibility of their use in plant protection without the hazards of chemical residue. Biological activity of three solvent extracts of Cleopatra mandarin (Citrus reshni) were studied using fourth instar larvae of filaria vector Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae). Larvicidal activity of the total ethanolic extract of peel, petroleum ether fraction of the peel and petroleum ether fraction of the leaf of Citrus reshni were used in this study. The extracts were tested at 10, 20, 40, 80 and 160 ppm concentrations. The larval mortality was observed after 24 h of exposure. All extracts showed larvicidal effects; however, the highest larval mortality was found in leaf petroleum ether fraction of C. reshni (LC50=38.13, LC90=118.56 ppm), followed by peel petroleum ether fraction (LC50=54.19, LC90 =140.45 ppm) but the total ethanolic extract of the peel gives moderate effect (LC50=98.91, LC90= 219.43 ppm). These results suggest that the petroleum ether extracts of C. reshni have the potential to be used as an ideal eco-friendly approach for the control of the agricultural pests C. pipiens
June 2012