Insecticidal Activity of Selected Plant-Derived Essential Oils against Papaya Mealybug (Paracoccus marginatus)
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Date
2023-12-02
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI
Abstract
The current study aims to assess the effectiveness of three essential oils derived from
neem, citrus, and garlic against papaya mealybug. Papaya seedlings were transplanted in the
field in a completely randomized block design with eight treatments with four replications. The
treatments included neem, citrus, and garlic oils in combination with isopropyl alcohol or paraffin
oil as an adjuvant. Results from this study showed that neem oil at 1.5% + 0.2% isopropyl alcohol
was effective against papaya mealybug by 93.0% equivalent to the positive control (imidacloprid)
(99.4%), followed by citrus oil at 1.5% + isopropyl alcohol (76.3%) and citrus oil at 1.5% + paraffin oil
(68.8%), compared with the untreated 0.01%. Similarly, application of the plant-derived essential oils
and adjuvants resulted in positive effects on plant parameters (plant height, number of leaves, flower
buds, number of fruits, and fruit weight) and, hence, increased papaya yield from an average of 38 to
90 fruits/plant at first harvest. The finding from this study provides an understanding of papaya
farmers towards the use of natural plant products, particularly plant-derived essential oils, and their
benefits, which may encourage farmers to increase papaya production and minimize the usage of
synthetic pesticides to avoid pest resistance.
Sustainable Development Goals
This research article was published in the Journals of Sustainability, Volume 15, Issue 23, 2023
Keywords
Azadirachtin, Paracoccus marginatus, Biopesticide, Adjuvants, Insecticides