Synergistic Effects of Wood Ash and Essential Oil on Fecundity, Pupal Eclosion and Adult Mortality of Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) Cowpea Seed Weevil

Journal Title: Journal of Experimental Agriculture International - Year 2016, Vol 11, Issue 6

Abstract

Aims: The use of residual synthetic chemicals, although effective against stored product pests, has led to environmental degradation. However, the risk of target pests developing resistance to insecticides in addition to the high costs of synthetic insecticides has pushed researchers to find alternative control methods. Plant-based insecticides represent a suitable alternative control method because they are less toxic to non-target organisms and biodegradable. The present study investigates the potency of essential oil and wood ashes in the control of the stored product pest Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae). Study Design: Bioassays were performed in glass jars. Insect rearing, oil extraction and wood ash preparation were done according to an established protocol. For each treatment, a randomized complete block design with four replications was used. Place and Duration of Study: Laboratory of biology of the Faculty of Science, University of Ngaoundere, Cameroon from February 2013 to February 2014. Methodology: Wood ash from two different plants and essential oil were used. We evaluated the single effects of our products before combining each wood ash at 0.4, 2, 10, 20 and 40 g/kg with the essential oil of Lippia adoensis at the rate of 0.05 mL/kg on different fitness parameters of C. maculatus. Data on insect mortality rate and adult emergence were assessed. Results: In single applications, the susceptibility of C. maculatus was significantly (P = .05) higher to essential oil than wood ash with LC50 values of 2.64 mL/kg and 139.64 g/kg, respectively after the first day exposure. The essential oil was also more effective in reducing egg laying and adult emergence. However, the combination of wood ash and essential oil caused 98.69±1.32% mortality within six days of exposure, compared to 73.53±3.80% for wood ash and 77.44±2.91% for essential oil. The co-toxicity coefficients of the combination of the two substances for mortality (275.9), fecundity (562.61) and fertility (438.92) were higher than 120, suggesting a significant essential oil-ash synergistic interaction. Conclusion: Essential oil was the most toxic in single applications for all treatments. But when applied in combination, a lowest dose of wood ash (0.8 mL/kg) instead of 40 g/kg was able to kill 98.69±1.32% of adults. Therefore, combining essential oil with wood ash could significantly (P = .05) improve on the efficacy of controlling C. maculatus in storage facilities. Knowledge gained from this study could be exploited by low income farmers as it could provide a cost effective strategy for crop storage without the use of enormous quantities of wood ash.

Authors and Affiliations

Akami Mazarin, Elias Nchiwan Nukenine, Changying Niu, Frederic Vencl Vincent

Keywords

Related Articles

A Fast Experimental Electrical Conductivity Survey for Agricultural Applications, Case of Small Crop Area of Otoes (Xanthosoma sp.) in Central Region of Panama

A quasi-continuous automatic recording system of apparent electrical conductivity data of soil (ECₐ) was assembled to obtain at a reliable and fast rate, spatial distribution maps of this physical parameter. The device w...

Use of Crop Water Stress Index for Irrigation Scheduling of Soybean in Mediterranean Conditions

Canopy temperature measured via infrared thermometers is an important parameter to determine crop water stress. The crop water stress index (CWSI) is the most often used index based on difference of canopy-air temperatur...

Garlic (Allium sativum) Powder as an Additive in Broilers (1-28 Days). Phase 1: Growth Performance and Hypocholesterolemic Effects

Garlic cloves were purchased from the local market and made into powdery form by mincing and sun-drying. One hundred and ninety-two day old commercial broilers were randomly allotted to four treatments and four replicate...

Agro-morphological Assessment of Local Cultivars of Nightshade (Solanum macrocarpon L.) in Benin

Solanum macrocarpon (L.) commonly known as “Gboma” is a leafy vegetable widely eaten in several countries of West Africa and South America. Despite the importance of gboma in Africa, this plant is still neglected and und...

Roots Partially Drive Super Sweet Maize Yield

Although it has been indicated that corn biomass accumulation between sowing and harvest are directly related to incident photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) intercepted by the canopy, plant roots can sense soil en...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP351329
  • DOI 10.9734/AJEA/2016/25306
  • Views 97
  • Downloads 0

How To Cite

Akami Mazarin, Elias Nchiwan Nukenine, Changying Niu, Frederic Vencl Vincent (2016). Synergistic Effects of Wood Ash and Essential Oil on Fecundity, Pupal Eclosion and Adult Mortality of Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) Cowpea Seed Weevil. Journal of Experimental Agriculture International, 11(6), 1-12. https://europub.co.uk./articles/-A-351329