1. Use of plant products and copepods for control of the dengue vector, Aedes aegypti.
- Author
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Murugan, K., Jiang-Shiou Hwang, Kovendan, K., Kumar, K. Prasanna, Vasugi, C., and Kumar, A. Naresh
- Subjects
AEDES aegypti ,COPEPODA ,DENGUE ,PREVENTIVE medicine ,MOSQUITO control ,MOSQUITO larvae - Abstract
The efficacy of plant extracts (neem tree, Azadirachta indica A. Juss.; Meliaceae) and copepods [ Mesocyclops aspericornis (Daday)] for the control of the dengue vector Aedes aegypti L. was tested in the laboratory. Neem Seed Kernel Extract (NSKE) at 25, 50, 100, 200 and 400 ppm caused significant mortality of Ae. aegypti larvae . Lethal concentrations (LC and LC) were worked out. The LC and LC values for I to IV larval instars were 111.98, 138.34, 158.93, 185.22 ppm and for pupae was 146.13 ppm, respectively. The LC value of I instar was 372.95 ppm, II instar was 422.77 ppm, III instar was 440.63 ppm, IV instar was 456.96 ppm, and pupae was 476.92 ppm, respectively. A study was conducted to test the whether the predatory efficiency of copepods on first instars changed in the presence of NSKE. The percentage of predatory efficiency of copepod was 6.80% in treatments without NSKE and the percentage of predatory efficiency increased up to 8.40% when copepods were combined with NSKE. This increase in predation efficiency may caused by detrimental effects of the neem active principle compound (Azadirachtin) on the mosquito larvae. Our results suggest that the combined application of copepods and neem extract to control Aedes populations is feasible. Repeated application of neem does not cause changes in copepod populations, because neem is highly degradable in the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2011
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