Evaluation of novel natural product insecticide from The Egyptian Red Sea coast

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Entomology Department, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Egypt

Abstract

The  present  work aims to collect  the most dominant marine soft corals: Sarcophyton glaucum from the Egyptian Red Sea coast, Gulf of Suez, Al- Ain Elsokhna. Evaluating their potential as insecticides and time of exposure against Sitophilus oryzae adults (Coleoptera: curculionidae). Three different solvents (ethanol, chloroform and aqueous extracts of soft corals Sarcophyton glaucum and five concentrations as (20, 200, 500, 1000 and 2000 ppm.) were used in all experiments. Screening analysis of active materials  of soft corals Sarcophyton glaucum extracted by ethanol, chloroform and distilled water were terpene, alkaloids and tannins, respectively. The results of this work indicated that the ethanol extracts of Sarcophyton glaucum were achieved the highest mortality rate 100%against adults of S. oryzae at high concentration 2000 ppm.  LC50 and LC95 values were recorded as 63.18 and 967.1 ppm. respectively, followed by concentration of ethanol extract at 1000 ppm after 96h. Meanwhile, chloroform achieved high mortality rate at 83.33% .  Moreover, LC50 and LC95 were recorded at 166.9 and 3200.0 ppm., respectively. On other hands, mortality percentage by using aqueous extract of  S.glaucum was recorded the lowest mortality rate of 63.33%. Moreover, LC50 and LC95 values were recorded  1036.0 and at 5550.0 ppm respectively, . Due to these results, we concluded that effects ethanol extracts  from the soft corals  Sarcophyton glaucum  on S. oryzae had potential insecticidal activity followed by chloroform extract and at last came aqueous extract. Moreover, The mortality percentages were increased by increasing the concentration and time of exposure.  These extracts of soft coral S. glaucum may be promising as a novel natural product which  could be used as  pesticides  against  S. oryzae adults. So, I would like to recommend these  novel products from soft corals to be used, because they are considered eco-friendly insecticides on insects and do not affect on humans, animals and plants  and  prevent  the environmental pollutions

Keywords