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SUSCEPTIBILITY OF THE DIFFERENT STAGES OF THE MEDFLY CERATITIS CAPITATA WIEDEMANN (DIPTERA: TEPHRITIDAE) TO THE EXTRACTS OF VIOLA ODORATA AND EUCALYPTUS CAMALDEULENSIS

Research Authors
Ahmed Ibrahim, Nehad A Soliman, Sherihan M Alamin, Amira E Mesbah, Ali Mahmoud
Research Abstract

The medfly (Ceratitis capitata) is a polyphagous serious fruit pests spreaded in Africa and worldwide. The medfly infests several plant species and causes economic losses in many crops.The problems of using undesirable chemical insecticides against medfly have forced the scientists to look for more safe pesticides. Therefore, two plant extracts, Viola odorata and Eucalyptus camaldeulensis, were tested against the adult and immature stages of C. capitata. Each extract composition was analyzed using GC-MS. Terpenoids were identified as the major constituents in V. odorata extract, while E. camaldeulensis extract contains heterocyclic organic compounds together with terpenoids. The toxicity of both extracts on C. capitata was addressed using the contact and spray application methods. The contact treatment method showed higher toxicity than the spray method. In the meantime, the pupae were more susceptible to V. odorata extract than the full grown larvae; while E. camaldeulensis extract showed higher toxicity on larvae. Both extracts affected adult flies with higher toxicity in V. odorata-treated flies. The pupal deformations were recorded in the plant extracts-treated C. capitata. The malformations of pupae included emergence of only head and thorax of the flies and keeping the rest of the body inside the puparia, decoloration of the puparium, and no emergence of the flies at all. Furthermore, the V. odorata extract induced adult antennal and wings abnormalities. Both extracts degraded within a short period of time in the soil. In conclusion, the V. odorata and E. camaldeulensis extracts might act as powerful insecticides against C. capitata.

Research Date
Research Department
Research Journal
Egyptian Journal of Zoology
Research Publisher
The Zoological Society of AR Egypt
Research Year
2023