Vol. 2, Issue 3, Part A (2015)

Author(s): Arun. K. Das, Suresh Kumar. J, Swamy P.S

Abstract: Mosquito is a vector of several life threatening diseases affecting humans. The use of synthetic insecticides in the vector control is not advisable due to lack of novel insecticides, high cost, concern for environmental sustainability, harmful effect on human health and increasing insecticide resistance on a global scale. A comparative account on the larvicidal efficiency of the plants of Genus Atalantia was not reported so far. Therefore in the present work the larvicidal activity of the leaf essential oils of the three selected Atalantia species were tested. Also the chemical composition of the essential oils was analyzed by GC/MS. Essential oil was isolated from the fresh leaves of the three species using Clevenger type apparatus. The larvicidal activity of the leaf essential oils were tested according to the WHO procedure (WHO, 1981). In the comparative analysis the leaf essential oil of A. racemosa showed maximum activity against the larvae of three selected mosquito species namely Aedes aegypti, Anopheles stephensi and Culex quinquefasciatus.