Antifeedant Activity Of Leaf Extracts Against The Adults Of Red Pumpkin Beetle Raphidopalpa Foveicollis Lucas 1849 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Abstract

Red pumpkin beetle is the most destructive polyphagous pest of cucurbit vegetables. Antifeedants from plant extracts and their phytochemical constituents can be used as a safer alternative to harmful chemical pesticides to control agricultural pests and have emphasized their potential as ecologically safe pesticides. In the present study, the crude solvent leaf extracts of selected plants were screened and tested at 0.1% concentration after 24 hours for their antifeedant activity against the adults of Raphidopalpa foveicollis by leaf disc no choice bioassay method. Amongst them, more than 50% antifeedant activity was noted in the ethyl acetate of Cassia fistula (83.43); hexane and diethyl ether of Leucas aspera (67.28 and 69.89) and Streblus asper (61.34 and 72.43), and dichloromethane extract of Plumbago zeylanica (60.15) while rest of the leaf extracts exhibited varying degree of moderate or lesser antifeedant activity. This indicated that the active principles present in the leaf extracts inhibited the feeding behaviour of Raphidopalpa foveicollis by making the food unpalatable resulting in feeding deterrence. The results obtained in the present study suggests that further studies should concentrate on the activity of the phytochemical compounds present in each promising extracts of the plant tested.

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