Background: Plutella xylostella (Diamondback moth), a major pest of Brassica crops, causes significant economic losses worldwide. In the present study, the larvicidal efficacy of Roylea cinerea, a medicinal plant native to the Western Himalayas, was evaluated for the first time against P. xylostella under laboratory conditions.
Methods: Leaf extracts of R. cinerea were prepared using two solvents: methanol and ethyl acetate, and tested at varying concentrations (0.5–3.0%) against diamond back moth larvae. In parallel, the life cycle of P. xylostella was observed to complete within 20–25 days under controlled conditions.
Results: At 24 hours post-treatment, the lowest mortality (10.71%) was recorded with the 0.5% methanol extract, while the highest (39.28%) was observed with the 3.0% ethyl acetate extract. After 48 hours, the methanol extract at 0.5% and 1.5% concentrations both showed 17.85% mortality, whereas the 3.0% ethyl acetate extract achieved a significantly higher mortality of 50%. By 72 hours, mortality rates increased across treatments, with the 3.0% ethyl acetate extract showing the highest efficacy (72.41%), while the lowest was again seen with 0.5% methanol extract (39.28%).
Conclusion: The study demonstrates that R. cinerea exhibits promising larvicidal activity against P. xylostella, with ethyl acetate extracts proving more effective than methanol. These findings highlight the potential of R. cinerea as a sustainable botanical pesticide for managing diamondback moth populations, contributing to environmentally safe pest management strategies.
botanicals, biopesticide, mortality, Plutella xylostella, Roylea cinerea
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