PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND LARVICIDAL ACTIVITY OF Murraya koenigii LEAVES EXTRACTS AGAINST MOSQUITO LARVAE

Abstract

Exploring new use of aromatic leaves of Murraya koenigii lead us to test it as pesticide. Phytochemical screening of the extracts was conducted to determine the active compounds using hexane and methanol solvents. The LC50 and LT50 values for both extracts against mosquito larvae were determined. This study was comprised of several methods namely collection of leaves of M. koenigii, extraction M. koenigii leaves with hexane and methanol sequentially, phytochemical screening and larvicidal bioassay on third instar larvae using three different concentrations (250, 500 and 750 ppm). Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, tannins, flavonoids and glycoside for methanol extract meanwhile negative results were obtained for hexane. Larvicidal bioassay of methanol and hexane extraction crudes gave the lowest LC50 and LT50, which were 250 ppm and 450 ppm with 36 hours, respectively. The plant extracts showed larvicidal activity against mosquito larvae at 0.05 level of significance in terms of concentration for hexane and duration for methanol. High larvicidal activity of M. koenigii leaves was supported by the presence of phytochemicals that shows synergistic effects in terms of larvicidal action to mosquito larvae. This study demonstrated that M. koenigii could be an effective mosquito larvicide.