Asian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 3(2): 100-103, 2011
ISSN: 2041-3890
© Maxwell Scientific Organization, 2011
Received: November 16, 2010
Accepted: December 25, 2010
Published: March 15, 2011
Insecticidal Efficacy of Some Lamiaceae Plant Extracts Against
Callosobruchus chinensis Linn. (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)
M.M. Kiradoo and Meera Srivastava
Laboratory of Entomology, P.G. Department of Zoology, Govt. Dungar College,
Bikaner-334 001, Rajasthan, India
Abstract: The present study was undertaken to screen some plants belonging to family Lamiaceae against
Callosobruchus chinensis Linn.. Among fourteen important insect pests of stored grains, the pulse beetle C.
chinensis (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) is one such pest causing considerable damage to stored pulses. The eggs are
laid on the host grains; the larvae bore inside and after feeding and pupating emerge out as adults leaving
behind damaged hollow seed-grains. Looking into the hazards of chemical insecticides, there is an utmost need
to search for some alternate methods for protection against the damage caused by insects. The leaves of the
select plants viz., Ocimum basilicum, O.sanctum and Mentha spicata were employed in the form of various
formulations and mortality of the pest insect was assessed. A significant increase in mortality of C. chinensis
was observed in all the experimental sets as compared to normal and control sets during the present study.
When comparisons were made on the basis of ANOVA to compare the effect of the three plants on mortality,
it was found that the treatments of O. basilicum were superior over M. spicata and O. sanctum. The findings
overall suggest that all the three plants screened have a potential to be used against the pest C. chinensis and
can be employed as an alternate to chemical insecticides in household and storehouses to minimize the
infestation and damage caused by the bruchid.
Key words: Callosobruchus chinensis, formulations, lamiaceae, mortality
to 200 genera. The family was for many years referred to
as Labiateae but modern workers now tend to use the
name Lamiaceae as recommended by the International
Code of Botanical Nomenclature.The present work was
therefore carried out, to screen certain botanical
formulations against the pulse beetle C. chinensis Linn.,
raised on grains of Vigna radiata. The plants selected for
the study included Mentha spicata, Ocimum sanctum and
O. basilicum all belonging to family Lamiaceae
(Labiatae).
INTRODUCTION
Cereals and pulses are the world's basic staple food
and provide much of the energy and protein for most of
the populations. In the developing world, three quarters of
all seeds planted are derived from stocks maintained in
the store houses by farmers. Although these stocks
provide farmers with a degree of food security, they are
susceptible to losses or damage caused by insects,
rodents, fungal attack and environmental changes. The
worldwide losses in storage due to insects and rodents
have been estimated by FAO to be about 20%, the figures
ranging from 10% in Europe and North America to 30%
in Africa and Asia (Hill, 1992).The pulse beetle
Callosobruchus sp. (Coleoptera: Bruchidae), is a major
pest of economically important leguminous grains, such
as cowpeas, lentils, green gram, and black gram (Talukder
and Howse, 1994; Park et al., 2003). The adult female
lays eggs, which are glued to the seed surface. The larvae
bore into the pulse grain, where the entire development
takes place and the adults emerge out leaving behind
holed grains. The grains therefore become unsuitable for
human consumption, viability for replanting, or for the
production of sprouts.
The plant family Lamiaceae is a relatively commonly
encountered family, especially in the temperate regions of
the world. It comprises of about 3500 species belonging
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The pulse beetle C chinensis was raised on green
gram Vigna radiata in incubators maintained at
28+2ºC and 70% RH. The leaves of plants Ocimum
basilicum, O.sanctum and Mentha spicata belonging to
family Lamiaceae grown in the Botanical garden of
Govt. Dungar College Campus, Bikaner, Rajasthan,
India, were collected, cleaned and shade dried. The
formulations were applied in the form of crude
extract, powder suspension, aqueous extract, ethanol
extract and diethyl ether extract at different dose
concentrations of 10, 25 and 50%. For comparison
normal and controls sets were also kept under
observation.
Corresponding Author: Meera Srivastava, Laboratory of Entomology, P.G. Department of Zoology, Govt. Dungar College,
Bikaner-334 001, Rajasthan, India
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Asian J. Agric. Sci., 3(2): 100-103, 2011
Table 1: Adult mortality (%) of C. chinensis under different treatments of leaves of three plants of Lamiaceae
Plants
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Treatments
Conc.
M. spicata
O. sanctum
O. basilicum
Crude extract
Normal
4.44 ± 1.92
4.44 ± 1.92
4.44 ± 1.92
Control
16.66 ± 1.15
16.66 ± 1.15
16.66 ± 1.15
10%
44.44 ± 9.24
55.55 ± 5.45
38.88 ± 9.62
25%
61.11 ± 5.45
55.55 ± 9.61
83.33 ± 6.67
50%
66.66 ± 3.00
83.33 ± 6.67
88.88 ± 9.62
Powder suspension
Normal
4.44 ± 1.92
4.44 ± 1.92
4.44 ± 1.92
Control
16.66 ± 1.15
16.66 ± 1.15
16.66 ± 1.15
10%
27.22 ± 9.74
61.11 ± 9.61
61.11 ± 9.61
25%
61.11 ± 9.24
61.11 ± 9.24
66.66 ± 2.10
50%
72.22 ± 5.45
72.72 ± 1.99
83.33 ± 1.00
Aqueous extract
Normal
4.44 ± 1.92
4.44 ± 1.92
4.44 ± 1.92
Control
16.66 ± 1.15
16.66 ± 1.15
16.66 ± 1.15
10%
0.00 ± 0.00
11.10 ± 9.61
61.11 ± 9.61
25%
0.00 ± 0.00
16.66 ± 6.66
83.33 ± 6.67
50%
22.22 ± 9.62
22.22 ± 9.24
94.44 ± 9.62
Ethanol extract
Normal
4.44 ± 1.92
4.44 ± 1.92
4.44 ± 1.92
Control
33.33 ± 0.57
33.33 ± 0.57
33.33 ± 0.57
10%
94.44 ± 9.62
38.88 ± 6.66
44.44 ± 5.45
25%
100 ± 0.00
49.99 ± 2.08
55.55 ± 9.61
50%
100 ± 0.00
50 ± 2.00
66.66 ± 6.66
Diethyl ether extract
Normal
4.44 ± 1.92
4.44 ± 1.92
4.44 ± 1.92
Control
33.33 ± 0.57
33.33 ± 0.57
33.33 ± 0.57
10%
61.11 ± 9.24
44.44 ± 5.45
66.66 ± 6.66
25%
66.66 ± 6.66
55.55 ± 5.45
38.88 ± 1.94
50%
77.77 ± 9.62
66.66 ± 6.66
49.99 ± 6.66
Values given are mean±SD
Table 2: Comparison of mean adult mortality (%) under treatments of
three Lamiaceae plants
Subset
----------------------------------------------Plant types
N
1
2
O. sanctum
45
49.6269
M. spicata
45
56.9976
56.9976
O. basilicum
45
65.5522
Sig.
0.146
0.092
Specific number of adult insects were released in
muslin cloth covered beakers containing weighed green
gram grains and treated with different dose concentrations
(w/v). Each experimental set comprised of five
replications. The total number of adult insects surviving
after three days of treatment in various experimental sets
was counted and per cent mortality of adults was
calculated. The data obtained was statistically analyzed
employing ANOVA using SPSS (2004) analysis.
Table 3: Comparison of mean adult mortality (%) under different
extracts
Subset
----------------------------------------------Formulations
N
1
2
Aqueous extract
27
34.5652
Diethyl ether extract 27
58.6389
Powder extract
27
62.8981
Crude extract
27
64.1941
Ethanol extract
27
66.6648
Sig.
1.000
0.267
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The per cent adult mortality of C. chinensis under
different treatments of various plants studied has been
presented in Table 1 and Fig. 1 to 5. The results of
ANOVA have been presented in Table 2 to 4. During the
present study, adult mortality in normal sets was observed
to be 4.44 (±1.92)% while, in control sets treated with
Glass Distilled Water (GDW), ethanol and diethyl ether
(DEE) it was documented as 16.66 (±1.15), 33.33(±0.57)
and 33.33 (±0.57)%, respectively. The mean per cent
adult mortality as presented in Table 2 with respect to the
treatments of leaves of select three plants was 49.62% (O.
sanctum), 56.99% (M. spicata) and 65.55% (O.
basilicum). A significant (p<0.05) difference in per cent
mortality was observed only between treatments of leaves
of O. sanctum and O. basilicum.
During the present study ethanol extracts were found
to be superior over other formulations resulting in higher
mortality. 100% mortality was observed in sets treated
Table 4: Comparisons of mean adult mortality (%) under different
concentrations
Subset
----------------------------------------------Concentrations
N
1
2
10%
45
47.3676
25%
45
57.0342
50%
45
67.7749
Sig.
0.057
1.000
with 25 and 50% ethanol extracts of M. spicata. 16.66%
adult mortality was documented in sets treated with
aqueous extract. The present findings are in conformation
with those of Stein and Klingauf (1990) who also
101
Asian J. Agric. Sci., 3(2): 100-103, 2011
100
80
100
10%
25%
50%
90
80
10%
25%
50%
70
60
60
40
50
40
20
30
0
Normal
Control
20
M. Spicata O. Sanctum O. Basilicum
10
0
Fig. 1: Comparison of adult mortality (%) of C. chinensis under
treatments of crude extracts of leaves of three
Lamiaceae plants
100
80
Normal
Control
M. Spicata O. Sanctum O. Basilicum
Fig. 4: Comparison of adult mortality (%) of C. chinensis under
treatments of ethanol extract of leaves of three
Lamiaceae plants
10%
25%
50%
100
60
90
80
40
10%
25%
50%
70
20
60
50
0
Normal
Control
M. Spicata O. Sanctum O. Basilicum
40
30
Fig. 2: Comparison of adult mortality (%) of C. chinensis under
treatments of powder suspension of leaves of three
Lamiaceae plants
100
80
20
10
0
Normal
10%
25%
50%
M. Spicata O. Sanctum O. Basilicum
Fig. 5: Comparison of adult mortality (%) of C. chinensis under
treatments of diethyl ether extract of leaves of three
Lamiaceae plants
60
40
present study. Kweka et al. (2008) also observed another
related species O. suave to result in highest mortality of
Anopheles and O. kilimandscharicum of Culex mosquito.
Mala and Solayappan (2001) also suggested extract of
O. sanctum to cause mortality of 2nd and 3rd instars larvae
of Chilo infuscatellus and Roger and Hamraoui (1994)
reported hydro-distillated and intact plants of M. piperita,
Origanum vulgare, Thymus vulgaris, Satureia hortensis,
Rosmarinus officinalis all belonging to family Lamiaceae
to be effective in causing adult mortality of
Acanthoscelides obtectus. A high kill of adult C.
chinensis by the treatment of oil vapours of M. spicata,
M. piperita and M. citrata has also been reported by
Mishra et al. (1992). The oils of O. vulgare, O. basilicum
and O. majorna were found to be lethal to housefly M.
domestica by Pavela (2008). All these findings suggest
that plants belonging to family Lamiaceae do possess
certain insecticidal constituents. It can therefore be
concluded that the plants belonging to family Lamiaceae
have a potential to be used against C. chinensis, as during
the present study the different formulations have been
found to bring about significant mortality of the pest
insect.
20
0
Normal
Control
Control
M. Spicata O. Sanctum O. Basilicum
Fig. 3: Comparison of adult mortality (%) of C. chinensis under
treatments of aqueous extract of leaves of three
Lamiaceae plants
suggested that ethanol extracts of O. sanctum were 60100% effective as botanical insecticide against
M. persicae, while, Pascual-Villalobos and Robledo
(1998) found polar extract of M. longifolia to produce 70100% mortality when applied topically. The adult
mortality in general was found to have a positive
correlation with dose concentration. These findings are in
agreement with the earlier findings by Ghei (2001), who
also found a similar trend, but 10% extracts to be most
effective. Gupta (2004) and Mann (1997) also
documented a direct relationship of adult mortality with
concentration when treated with extracts of various plants.
The extracts of leaves of O. basilicum were found to
result in highest mortality of C. chinensis during the
102
Asian J. Agric. Sci., 3(2): 100-103, 2011
Mann, A.K., 1997. Evaluation of pesticidal efficacy of
certain desert plants against some stored grain pests.
Ph.D. Thesis, MDS University, Ajmer, India,
pp: 197.
Mishra, B.K., P.R. Mishra and H.K. Mahaptra, 1992.
Studies on some plant produced mixtures against
Sitophilus oryzae (L.) infesting wheat seeds. Ind. J.
Plant Prot., 20(2): 178-182.
Mala. S.R. and A.R. Solayappan, 2001. Bio-insecticides
for the control of early shoot borer Chilo
infuscatellus Snell. Proc. NCCP. Udaipur, pp: 38.
Park, C., S.I. Kim and Y.J. Ahn, 2003. Insecticidal
activity of asarones identified in Acorus gramineus
rhizome against three Coleopteran stored - product
insects. J. Stored Prod. Res., 39: 332-342.
Pascual-Villalobos, M.J. and A. Robledo, 1998.
Screening for anti-insect activity in Mediterranean
plants. Indus. Crops Prod., 8: 183-194.
Pavela, R., 2008. Insecticidal properties of several
essential oils on the house fly (Musca domestica L.).
Phytother. Res., 22(2): 274-278.
Roger, R.C. and A. Hamraoui, 1994. Comparison of the
insecticidal effects of water extracted and intact
aromatic plants on Acanthoscelides obtectus, a
bruchid beetle pest of kidney beans. Chemoecology,
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Stein, U. and F. Klingauf, 1990. Insecticidal effect of
plant extracts from tropical and subtropical species.
Traditional methods are good as long as they are
effective. J. App. Ent., 110(2): 160-166.
Talukder, F.A. and P.E. Howse, 1994. Efficacy of Pithraj
(Aphanamixis polystachya) Seed Extracts Against
Stored-Product Pests. In: Highley, E., E.J. Wright
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CONCLUSION
On the basis of ANOVA it could be inferred and
concluded that among plants O. basilicum formulations
are superior over others, among solvents ethanol extract
is better and highest dose concentration of 50% results in
maximum mortality C.chinensis.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The Principal Govt. Dungar College, Bikaner,
Rajasthan, India is thankfully acknowledged for providing
necessary facilities to carry on this work in the Laboratory
of Entomology of P.G. Department of Zoology of the
College.
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