Toxicity of neem oil to the cassava green mite Mononychellus tanajoa (Bondar) (Acari: Tetranychidae)
2013
Neem ( Azadirachta indica A. Juss.)-derived pesticides have been used
against a wide range of agricultural pests including tetranychid mites.
Approaches combining lethal and sublethal toxicity studies of neem
pesticides towards tetranychid mites are necessary to a comprehensive
evaluation of such products. Here, we evaluated the lethal and
sublethal toxicity of the neem oil Bioneem to the cassava green mite
Mononychellus tanajoa (Bondar) by integrating lethal concentration
(LC) with population growth and biological parameter studies. According
to Probit analyses the concentration of neem oil Bioneem which kills
50% of the population (LC50) of M. tanajoa was 3.28 μL cm-2, which
is roughly twice the field concentration recommended of this
biopesticide to control pest mites (1.7 μL cm-2). The growth rate
of the cassava green mite steadily decreased with dosages of neem oil.
Furthermore, sublethal concentrations of the neem oil corresponding to
the LC50 reduced the periods of the immature stages of M. tanajoa
resulting in a shorter developmental time. Similarly, the number of
eggs per day and the number of eggs per female per day, a proxy for
fecundity, were drastically reduced in M. tanajoa females exposed to
the LC50 of neem oil. Based on our comprehensive approach we conclude
that the neem oil showed lethal as well as sublethal toxicity on growth
rate and biological parameters such as duration of immature stages and
fecundity of the cassava green mite M. tanajoa and it could be used as
an ecological alternative for the management of this pest.
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