Effect of Certain Mediscinal Plants Extracts Against Storage Pest, Tribolium Castaneum Herbst

In continuation of our work on Sudanese med icinal and aromatic plants , we have taken into cons ideration the search for plants with potential in s e c t p e s t management. Alcoholic extracts of ten species of medicinal plants , namely, Ageratum conyzoides (As teraceae), Alternanthera nodiflora (Amaranthaceae), Ambrosia maritima (As teraceae), Cardiospermum halicacabum (Sapindaceae), Eclipta prostrata (As teraceae), Polygonum glabrum (Polygonaceae), Pulicaria undulata (As teraceae), Solanum dubium (Solanaceae), Sonchus cornatus (As teraceae), and Sonc h u s o l e ra ceus (As teraceae), traditionally used in Sudan for the treatment of various ailments and diseases were screened for insecticidal activity agains t the s torage pes t, Tribolium castaneum which are known to cause maximum damage in p u ls e s a n d wheat flour in s torage. The tes ts were carried out us ing filter paper impregnation method at concentration levels ra n g e b e t we e n (10 – 200 mg/ml) of the crude alcoholic extracts . 50 50 Of all the plants tes ted, Sonchus oleraceus (LC = 20 mg/ml after 36 h o u rs ), Ageratum conyzoides (LC = 50 10 mg/ml after 96 hours), and Ambrosia maritima(LC = 20 mg/ml after 72 hours ) were fo u n d t o b e t h e mos t active species agains t Tribolium castaneum. The results indicate the pote n t ia l for these medicinal plants as a new source of p e s t c o n t ro l materials and further comprehens ive chemical and biological inves tigations are warranted to elucidate t h e e xt ract mechanism of the action of these extracts (especially, plants of family Asteraceae) for such activity.