Toxic effects of some insecticides, herbicides, and plant essential oils against Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du val (Insecta: Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Abstract

Cereals are staple food for many countries and are grown on millions of hectares of land, but much of the harvest is wasted due to losses by pests. To minimize these losses, many pesticides are used which are damaging to the environment and human health. There are debates to get rid of these chemicals but they are still in use at large scale. An alternative control strategy for insect pests in storage houses is the use of botanicals. In this study, four plant essential oils, two plant extracts, two herbicides, and two insecticides were used against Tribolium confusum and the comparison of toxicity was made by calculating LC50 and LT50 values. LC50 values were higher for abamectin (2.09–10.23 mg/L) and cypermethrin (3.41–11.78 mg/L) insecticides followed by neem essential oil (7.39–19.24 mg/L) and citrus extract (10.14–24.50 mg/L). However, LC50 values were maximum in case of jaman plant extract (22.38–176.42 mg/L) followed by two herbicides, Logran (19.66–39.72 mg/L) and Topik (29.09–47.67 mg/L) However, LC50 values were higher for topic herbicide (24.098 ppm) and jaman essential oil (16.383 ppm) after four days of treatment. Abamectin and cypermethrin insecticides, neem essential oil and citrus plant extract also killed adults of T. confusum quicker as compared other essential oils, extracts and herbicides. Results revealed that botanical formulations being environmentally safe could be used instead of highly hazardous pesticides for stored products’ pests. This study also elaborates the non-host toxicity of herbicides commonly applied in our agroecosystem.

Insecticidal Activity of Lemongrass Essential Oil as an Eco-Friendly Agent against the Black Cutworm Agrotis ipsilon (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

“…By 2050, the world population could reach 10 billion [1]. As a result, agricultural producers and researchers are fighting to minimize crop production losses due to insect assault.…”

“…This struggle has resulted in increased research into new crop protection strategies that are cost effective, environmentally friendly, and capable of insect pest management [6]. One of these strategies includes new types of insecticide, such as plant-derived semi chemicals [3], and botanical insecticides [1,6,7], which do not interfere with ecosystems [8], instead of the currently used synthetic insecticides for pest control [9].…”

Biological Activities and Chemical Constituents of Essential Oils from Piper cubeba Bojer and Piper nigrum L.

“…The safety and environmentally friendly of natural substances used in drugs, health foods, or natural herbicides are the major concern of many researchers. Several studies have explored the biological activities of P. cubeba or P. nigrum EOs such as antioxidant [12,27], anti-larvicidal [10], and insecticidal activities [28]. This study is the first report in comparison of the antihyperuricemic and herbicidal activities of P. cubeba and P. nigrum EOs.…”

Heavy Metals and Pesticides Toxicity in Agricultural Soil and Plants: Ecological Risks and Human Health Implications

“…Moreover, many pesticides, such as chlordane, dieldrin, hexachlorobenzene thiobencarb, and endrin, resist degradation (persistent organic pollutants) and remain in the environment for a long time. Furthermore, persistent pesticide residues can be bio-accumulated and reach up to a bio-concentration more than 70,000-fold compared with the original concentration [22,143]. A study done by Ligor et al [144] investigated the residues of five neonicotinoids (thiamethoxam, imidacloprid, acetamiprid, clothianidin, and thiacloprid) that were detected in different honey samples collected from different countries.…”