Evaluation under Laboratory Conditions of the Efficacy of Four Extracts of Spontaneous Plants from the Mzab Valley (Algeria) against the Date Palm Mite (Oligonychus afrasiaticus)

Trials were conducted to test the hydrosols of 4 spontaneous plants on the date palm mite, Oligonychus afrasiaticus, a key pest of date palm in Algeria. Extracts from those plants (basil, harmel, colocynth and hyssop) tested against date palm mite showed promising results. The quantities of essential oils extracted from the 4 plants were extremely low, that is why only hydrosols were used. The results obtained change depending on the number of sprays and the reading time after treatment. The hyssop extract caused a high mortality rate of 91%, followed by colocynth and basil extracts with average mortality rates of 64% and 62%, respectively. The lowest mortality rate, 6%, occurred when applying harmel extract.