SCREENING OF INSECTICIDAL POTENTIALS OF TWENTY (20) BOTANICAL PLANT POWDERS LOCALLY ACCESSIBLE FOR THE PROTECTION OF STORED LENTIL SEEDS (Lens culinaris) AGAINST INFESTATION OF Callosobruchus maculatus IN MAIDUGURI

Abstract

The insecticidal potential of 20 botanical powders against the bruchid beetle Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) on stored lentil was evaluated. The powders of Vernonia ambigua, Momordica charantica, Euphorbia hirta, Mentha arvensis, Cassia tora, Mitracarpus spp, Laportea canadensis, Amaranthus spinonsus, Tridax procumbens, Ocimum basilicum, Origanum vulgare, Thymus vulgaris, Senna occidentalis, Syzgium aromaticum, Nigella sativa, Piper nigrum, Zingiber officinale, Coriandrum sativum, Allium sativum, Myristica fragrans and Capsicum annum were used throughout the experiment. The data were recorded on adult mortality after 24, 48, 72 hours of exposure and oviposition, progeny emergence, weight loss, damage and germination potentials after 100 days of treatments at dose rate of 500 mg/kg botanical powders were applied on to lentil seeds on C. maculatus (F.) were assessed the result reveals that most of the botanical powders tested caused 100% adult mortality and completely inhibited ovipositon, while O. vulgare recorded the least effect 93.3% mortality. The insecticidal activity of these powders showed high potential protection of lentils seeds against C. maculatus infestation and germination percentage ranges between 100-91.6% of the treated seeds after 100 days of storage as compared with untrated control 17.0%. It is concluded that 500 mg/kg dose of botanical powders showed positive effect against C. maculatus mortality, reduced oviposition rate, complete inhibition adult F1 emergence, seed damage, seed weight loss and increased in germination percentage. It is recommended that the resource poor farmers can use botanical powders in controlling C. maculatus in stored lentils as they may not afford to buy insecticides due to high cost. Furthermore, the use of botanical insecticides to control C. maculatuss is an appropriate strategy to avoid environmental pollution and other hazards, since synthetic insecticides used by farmers and agro-allied industries currently affect the environment.