Ovicidal and Oviposition Deterrent Activities of Medicinal Plant Extracts Against Aedes aegypti L. and Culex quinquefasciatus Say Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae).
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the ovicidal and oviposition deterrent activities of five medicinal plant extracts namely Aegle marmelos (Linn.), Limonia acidissima (Linn.), Sphaeranthus indicus (Linn.), Sphaeranthus amaranthoides (burm.f), and Chromolaena odorata (Linn.) against Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Three solvents, namely hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol, were used for the preparation of extracts from each plant.


METHODS
Four different concentrations-62.5 parts per million (ppm), 125 ppm, 250 ppm, and 500 ppm-were prepared using acetone and tested for ovicidal and oviposition deterrent activities. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the significance of the treatments and means were separated by Tukey's test of comparison.


RESULTS
Among the different extracts of the five plants screened, the hexane extract of L. acidissima recorded the highest ovicidal activity of 79.2% and 60% at 500 ppm concentration against the eggs of Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. aegypti, respectively. Similarly, the same hexane extract of L. acidissima showed 100% oviposition deterrent activity at all the tested concentrations against Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. aegypti adult females.


CONCLUSIONS
It is concluded that the hexane extract of L. acidissima could be used in an integrated mosquito management program.
Division of Vector Control, Entomology Research Institute, Loyola College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Appadurai Daniel
AD
Reegan
Division of Vector Control, Entomology Research Institute, Loyola College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Munusamy Rajiv
MR
Gandhi
Division of Vector Control, Entomology Research Institute, Loyola College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Micheal Gabriel
MG
Paulraj
Division of Vector Control, Entomology Research Institute, Loyola College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Savarimuthu
S
Ignacimuthu
bioassay; medicinal plant extracts; vector mosquitoes