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Fungi affect the physiological conditions of animals as well as plants by decreasing their activities. Fishes are one of the victims of the fungal infections. In aquariums, ornamental fishes get infected with different species of the fungi due to several factors. To avoid such infections to fishes, several commercial chemicals are available in the market. The current study is to replace these chemicals with plant extracts. The number of bioactive molecules present in plants makes them an affluent source of variants of medicines. In the present study, antifungal activity of medicinal plants Parthenium hysterophorus, Achyrathes aspera, and Catharanthus roseus was assessed against Candida sp., Penicillium sp., and Aspergillus sp. isolated from infected aquarium fish. In the present study it was found that as compared with the zone of inhibition obtained in the standard tests, the maximum inhibition was exhibited by ethanolic extract of Parthenium hysterophorus and Catharanthus roseus against Aspergillus sp, chloroform extract ofParthenium hysterophorus andCatharanthus roseus and ethanolic extract ofAchyranthes aspera against Candida sp while ethanolic extract of Parthenium hysterophorus, Catharanthus roseus andAchyranthes aspera againstPenicillium sp.

Phthorimaea operculella (Potato tuber moth) is a destructive pest of stored potatoes and potato crops, primarily in subtropical areas of the globe. It is a pest of the field as well as storage, the larvae damage the crop through the foliage, stem, and tubers too. The manifestation of potato tuber moth primes to high economic damages in production worldwide. Post-harvest protection of the potato tubers becomes important and is challenging. A treatment with chemical agents is a possible strategy but cannot be recommended for food items hence alternative methods become important in control of these moths. The present study deals with the assessment of plant oils of Cinnamomum verum, Cupressuss sempervirens and Cymbopogon nardus. These plant oils were used to evaluate the larvicidal, adulticidal, Insect growth regulatory, repellency and oviposition deterrence activities against potato tuber moth. Results of the present work indicated that all the test oils show some promise as pest control agents against P. operculella. Oil of C. verum has exhibited promising toxic action (larvicidal LC50 = 110.10 μg/cm2, adulticidal LC50 = 49.78 μg/cm2). The oil of C. nardus caused promising IGR activity (delay in development = 16.2 days) All three plant oils have shown multifarious activity and can be a part of an eco-friendly and user-friendly method of control.

Mosquito-borne diseases are amongst the most serious threat to humans, especially in tropical countries. Mosquito control has never been easy and has always posed several difficulties like hazards of chemicals used, resistance raised in mosquito populations or cost-effectiveness. Current control methods mainly depend on the use of conventional chemicals, Physical methods, biological methods, and transgenic mosquitoes. Currently, none of these single strategies is fully successful. Unique eco-friendly approaches to achieve mosquito vector control are immediately required. The plant-mediated creation of nanoparticles is helpful over chemical and physical methods since it is cheap, single-step, and easy to use. Recently the number of plant-based compounds have been proposed for efficient synthesis of metal nanoparticles effective against mosquitoes. The present study was an attempt to study the mosquitocidal potential of the bionanomaterial of the bark extract of Eucalyptis grandis with silver. The larvicidal activity after 24 hours was found to be LC 50 = 42 and 35 ppm for the two species of the mosquitoes studied herein.

The housefly Musca domestica L. is recognized as a public health pest causing a serious threat to human and livestock by vectoring many infectious diseases. Chemical control method commonly used against this pest, though effective, has some major disadvantages, such as development of insect resistance and bioaccumulation. Pest management strategies for populations of houseflies are needed. Presently, bioinsecticides, especially those derived from plant origin, have been increasingly evaluated in controlling insects of medical importance. In order to search for effective and ecofriendly control agents, the essential oils of Mentha piperita, Zingiber officinalis, Emblica officinalis, and Cinnamomum verum were evaluated for their larvicidal, attractant/repellent, and oviposition attractant/deterrent activity against M. domestica. The highest larvicidal activity, i.e., C(50) = 104 ppm was shown by M. piperita. This oil also exhibited 96.8% repellency at the concentration of 1%. The highest oviposition deterrence activity of 98.1% was also exhibited by M. piperita oil at the concentration of 1%. Among the remaining plants, the essential oil of Z. officinalis exhibited significant bioactivities against M. domestica with larvicidal activity, i.e., lethal concentration (LC)(50) = 137 ppm, repellency of 84.9 and 98.1% oviposition deterrence both at 1% concentration. The other two plant oils, viz., C. verum and E. officinalis, showed relatively moderate bioefficacy with larvicidal activity, i.e., LC(50) = 159 and 259 ppm, repellency of 77.9 and 63.0% while oviposition deterrence of 60.0 and 42.6%, respectively. The result revealed that the essential oils of M. piperita have control potential against M. domestica and should be further explored as a component of integrated vector management program.

Due to the global health problems associated with mosquito-borne diseases, over two million people primarily in the tropical countries are at risk. The widely and commonly used chemical method though effective, has some major disadvantages making insect control practically difficult. In view of the above, it is unavoidable to search for new molecules, which are eco-friendly, cheaper, and safer. The present study deals with evaluation of bioactive potential of two commonly occurring plants against mosquitoes presenting an alternative to the conventional chemical methods. Essential oils extracted by steam distillation from rhizome of Zingiber officinalis and leaf and stem of Achyranthes aspera were evaluated for larvicidal, attractant/repellent, and oviposition attractant/deterrent activity against two mosquito species viz. Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus. The highest larvicidal activity, i.e., LC(50) = 154 ppm and LC(50) = 197 ppm for A. aegypti and C. quinquefasciatus, respectively was shown by Z. officinalis. This oil also offers 5-h protection at the concentration of 0.5 mg/cm² from both mosquito species. The highest oviposition deterrence activity was exhibited by A. aspera stem oil, i.e., 100% and 85.71%, in case of A. aegypti and C. quinquefasciatus, respectively, at the concentration of 0.1%. These results reveal that both these oils have control potential against A. aegypti and C. quinquefasciatus.