EVALUATION OF THE EFFICACY OF THREE PARSLEY EXTRACTS (AQUEOUS, CHLOROFORM AND METHANOL) AGAINST Callosobruchus maculatus Fab. (COLEOPTERA: BRUCHIDAE) ON STORED BAMBARA NUT Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.

Abstract

Laboratory experiment was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of three parsley extracts (Aqueous, Chloroform and Methanol) against Callosobruchus maculatus on stored Bambara nut (Farin ngangala). The experiment was conducted at Entomology Laboratory, Mohamet Lawan College of Agriculture, under ambient laboratory conditions of 36-40ºC temperature and 12-16% relative humidity. Thirty unsexed 0-1 day old adult insects were placed on 50g grain samples of Farin ngangala treated with the plant extracts at four application rate: 2.0, 4.0, 6.0 and 2.0 ml/kg, replicated three times. Adult mortality, oviposition, number of progeny emerged; percentage damage and percentage weight loss were assessed. On Bambara nut seeds treated with aqueous extract of parsley, significant differences were recorded between application rate and exposure periods on adult mortality ranging from 23.8+2.3 at 2ml/kg after 7 days of exposure to 91.3+0.9 at 8ml/kg after 21days of exposure. Mortality was also recorded at 2ml/kg after 7 days of exposing the beetles to Bambara nut treated with chloroform and methanol parsley extracts ranging from 22.3+6.2 and 23.3+3.3 to 100 and 83.3+2.0 after 21 days of exposure respectively. The oviposition, number of progeny emerged, and the percentage damage and weight loss were also recorded, indicating least oviposition (44.0+3.2), progeny emerged (1.2+0.9), percentage damage (0.9+0.1) and percentage weight loss (0.0) in the chloroform parsley extract. Most of application rates significantly varies with control and all the three extracts works followed the same trend i.e. mortality increases with increase in application rate and exposure period; and oviposition, progeny emergence, percentage damage and weight loss decreases with increase in application rate.