PESTICIDAL ACTIVITY OF THE LEAVES OF MANIHOT ESCULENTA AGAINST THE PEST TRIBOLIUM CASTANEUM
Tom Cherian and Mity Thambi*
ABSTRACT
Manihot esculenta, Cassava also called, tapioca-root, kappa (predominantly in India) a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae family native to South America. In the present study reveals that, plant extracts of Manihot esculenta leaves in ethyl acetate solvent is highly toxic against adults of Tribolium castaneum. Higher doses and exposure time are required to achieve 100% mortality for the adults of Tribolium castaneum. The ethyl acetate extract of Manihot esculenta could be used as a potential grain protectant against Tribolium castaneum. The use of botanical materials as insecticides will benefit our agricultural sector. They are not only of low cost, but have no environmental impact in term of insecticidal hazard. Therefore, the findings of the current experiments strongly support the use and exploration of botanicals in pest management practices.
[Full Text Article] [Download Certificate]