Synergistic larvicidal action of Citrus limon (L.) Osbeck (Rutaceae) and Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner 1915 (Bacillaceae) against the dengue vector Aedes aegypti Linnaeus 1762 (Diptera: Culicidae)
1 Department of Zoology, Scott Christian College, Nagercoil 629 003, Tamil Nadu, India.
2 Department of Zoology, Thiruvalluvar University, Vellore 632 115, Tamil Nadu, India.
3 Department of Zoology, Madras Christian College, Chennai 600 059, Tamil Nadu, India.
Research Article
GSC Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2019, 09(03), 025-033.
Article DOI: 10.30574/gscbps.2020.10.1.0249
Publication history:
Received on 23 December 2019; revised on 08 January 2020; accepted on 09 January 2020
Abstract:
Botanical and microbial insecticides are promising alternatives to synthetic pesticides for mosquito control because of lower toxicity to non-target organisms and their innate biodegradation ability. The present study was aimed to determine the synergistic larvicidal action of Citrus limon and Bacillus thuringiensis on the dengue vector Aedes aegypti. The crude methanolic leaf extract of Citrus limon and Bacillus thuringiensis were tested separately on the third instar larvae of Aedes aegypti at concentrations of 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 mg/L and at 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 mg/L respectively. Larval mortality was observed after 24 and 48 hours and the corresponding LC50 values were 285.1 and 219.5 mg/L for Citrus limon and 1.9 and 1.4 mg/L for Bacillus thuringiensis respectively. The synergistic larvicidal action showed high mortality and its LC50 values were 158.5 and 109.9 mg/L after 24 and 48 hours of exposure respectively. This synergistic interaction was due to the phytocompounds of Citrus limon and toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis which showed toxicity on the larvae of the dengue vector, Aedes aegypti. Hence, the exploitation of plant chemicals and microbial pesticides can be suggested for use in mosquito vector control program for the control of mosquito-transmitted diseases.
Keywords:
Citrus limon; Bacillus thuringiensis; Aedes aegypti; larvicidal; Synergistic action
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