Insecticidal Potentiality of Flavonoids from Cell Suspension Culture of Marchantia Linearis Lehm. & Lindenb against Spodoptera Litura F

Bryophytes were diverse, primitive non vascular amphibious taxa distributed worldwide and form the second largest category of plants. Bryophytes synthesize an array of phytochemicals to combat against the unhospitable environmental conditions including predation, UV radiation, high temperature and pest and pathogens. The present investigation was undertaken to elucidate flavonoids from in vitro cell cultures of the liverwort Marchantia linearis Lehm. & Lindenb. its fractionation and analysis of insecticidal potentialities. Initially, callus culture was initiated from spores in MS/5 media containing growth regulators BAP and NAA at the concentration of 2 mg/L and 0.5 mg/L. Agitation of the friable callus at lower rpm bring about lower level of cell dispersion, on the contrary at higher rpm might have risk of cell collision that is why rpm was kept at moderate speed i.e., 110 rpm. Continuous sub culturing process substantially improves cell growth and biomass. In the second phase, the flavonoids were isolated from cell suspension cultures of M. linearis and were fractionated by TLC and HPLC PAD chromatogram, which revealed the presence of quercetin, luteolin, apigenin, rutin and kaempferol. In vivo insecticidal analysis revealed significant antifeedant, larvicidal and pupicidal activities at all the concentrations against 5 instar larvae of Spodoptera litura. The extract also exhibited feeding deterrent activity with M. linearis. Similarly, the nutritional parameters were also affected i.e., reduced ECI (Efficiency of conversion of ingested food) and ECD (Efficiency of conversion of digested food) and increased AD (Approximate digestibility) and metabolic cost for the larvae, when compared with the control. The consumption of the basal diet with the incorporation of flavonoids by S. litura larvae was not significantly different compared to the consumption of the control diet by the larvae. Faecal production reduced proportionally with concentrations of the extract.