Toxicity of Moringa oleifera Lam. seed extracts at different stages of maturation on Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae)

Abstract

The study evaluated the acaricidal effect of aqueous extracts of green, mature and dried seeds of Moringa oleifera Lam. aiming to control Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae). Powder of green, ripe and dried seeds of M. oleifera were used in the preparation of aqueous extracts. Petri dishes containing Canavalia ensiformis (L.) D.C. leaf disc was used as arenas, with 10 replicates per treatment. First, the toxicity test was carried out, spraying the concentration of 20% (m / v) of each treatment on the mites in the arena. Later, the lethal concentration for T. urticae was estimated. The extracts were toxic to T. urticae, with higher mortality for green seed extracts, followed by mature seed extract. The green seed extract of M. oleifera showed lower LC50 among the tested treatments. This demonstrates that seed extracts, in the early stage of development, are promising for the control of T. urticae.