Abstract

LARVICIDAL AND PUPICIDAL ACTIVITY OF WATER EXTRACTS FROM TOMATO POMACES AND THEIR COMPONENTS AGAINST CULEX QUINQUEFASCIATUS (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE) UNDER LABORATORY CONDITIONS

Professor Abdul-Lateef Molan*, Dr. Munther Hamza Rathi and Doaa A. Abdulwahab (B.Sc)

ABSTRACT

Culex quinquefasciatus is the vector of filariasis in humans. The larvicidal and pupicidal activities of crude water extracts from tomato pomace and its ingredients (peels and seeds) on mosquito C. quinquefasciatus Say (Diptera: Culicidae) larvae and pupae were investigated. Water extracts from the powdered seeds showed the highest larvicidal and pupicidal activities followed by the pomace itself and then the peels. At 100 mg/ml, water extracts from the powdered seeds were able to 60% of the larvae while they were able to kill 51.7% of the pupae after 48 h exposure. At the same concentration, water extracts from the whole pomace were able to kill 40% of the larvae and 30% of pupae after 48 h exposure while the exposure to the water extracts from the peels has resulted in killing 40% of the larvae and 30% of the pupae. Although the larvae were more susceptible to the negative effects of the water extracts from the pomace and its ingredients than the pupae but the differences were not significant in most of the concentrations used. Taking into consideration the huge amounts of the tomato pomaces that thrown in the environment, the results of the current study indicate that the tomato pomace may be used as an environmentally friendly biocide against disease-carrying insects. In addition, further studies are necessary to test the larvicidal and pupicidal activities of tomato pomaces against other mosquito species and their different life stages.

Keywords: Tomato pomace, crude aqueous extracts, larvicidal and pupicidal activities, Culex quinquefasciatus.