Mosquitoes' larvicidal activity of Phoenix dactylifera Linn extracts against Aedes aegypti

Abstract

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are inducers of viruses such as DENV and ZIKV when they bite a person, which could lead to clinical symptoms like fever, headache, and rashes. This contemporary study aspired to examine the insecticidal potency of different extracts of the seed of Phoenix dactylifera on larvae of Aedes aegypti. The cold maceration process was used for the extraction of an accurately weighed 100 g of the finely powdered seed of P. dactylifera plant using hexane, petroleum ether, and methanol with strong handshaking for 48 hours. Methanolic extract of P. dactylifera showed 52% mortality at 1000 ppm and 20% dead at 500 and 250 ppm, respectively, and showed no larvicidal potency at 125 ppm against the fourth instar larvae of Ae. aegypti. Whereas hexane and petroleum ether seed plant extracts were found to be equally less effective against the fourth instar larvae of Ae. aegypti species, both showed 20% and 12% at 1000 and 500 ppm, respectively. The various concentrations of P. dactylifera extracts of hexane, petroleum ether, and methanol induced the larvicidal potency (LC50) after 24 h against IV instar larvae of Ae. aegypti were 2049.229, 2049.229, and 984.488 ppm, respectively. It was concluded that the seed extracts of P. dactylifera are potential candidates to be utilized as novel plant insecticides in curbing the spread of DENV and ZIKV disease vectors.