Evaluation of antifeedant activity of some herbal oils against Spodoptera litura (Fab.) under laboratory condition

Abstract

The present study was aimed to evaluate the antifeedant activity of essential herbal oils viz. Karanj (Pongamia glabra) oil @ 2%, Neem (Azadirachta indica) oil @ 2%, Sesame (Sesamum inidicum) oil @ 2% against the Spodoptera litura (Fab.) larva under laboratory conditions using ‘No choice’ feeding bioassay technique. The result shows that all the herbal oils used in the present investigation caused reduction in feeding over control. But the maximum antifeedant activity (i.e. 61.51%) against S. litura was exerted by karanj oil @ 2% and maximum (i.e. 44.86%) feeding inhibition was observed in karanj oil @ 2%, it was followed by neem oil @ 2% (32.74%) and sesame oil @ 2% (10.45%). Experiment concludes that these herbal oils have good antifeedant activity against S. litura that can be used in pest management.