Toxicity of Chenopodium Ambrosioides L. (Chenopodiaceae) Products From Nigeria Against Three Storage Insects

Abstract

Toxicity ofChenopodium AmbrosioidesL. (Chenopodiaceae) Products From Nigeria Against Three Storage InsectsTests were carried out to study the toxicity, oviposition suppression, ovicidal and larvicidal effects ofChenopodium ambrosioidesL. as powder, extracts and essential oil againstCallosobruchus maculatusF. (Coleoptera: Bruchidae),Sitophilus zeamaisMotschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) andTribolium castaneumJacqueline du Val. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). The powder formulation was more toxic toS. zeamaisthan eitherC. maculatusorT. castaneumwith 48 h LC50values of 0.46 g/kg, 1.60 g/kg and 2.14 g/kg, respectively. Ethanol extract was more toxic toC. maculatuswith a 48 h LC50value of 0.023 g/l, than other test insect species. The essential oil treatment demonstrated higher fumigant toxicity againstC. maculatusthanS. zeamaiswith 24 h LC50values of 1.33 μl/l and 1.90 μl/l respectively. The oil vapour showed activity againstC. maculatusegg, but had no appreciable larval mortality. The weight loss of grains admixed withC. ambrosioidespowder was lower than the controls after 150 days of field storage.