Screening of Derris indica Bennet. for cytotoxicity against Artemia salina and phytotoxicity on mustard seeds.

Chloroform extracts of the fruit shell, leaves, root bark, root wood, seeds, stem bark and stem wood of Derris indica Bennet. were tested against the brine shrimp, A rtemia salina nauplii. All the test extracts of D. indica were found to be effective. The LC 50 values of the extracts were 15312.37, 92.074 and 29.661 ppm for the fruit shell; 60922.83, 61.522 and 23.777 ppm for the leaf; 15312.37, 51.477 and 19.169  ppm for the root bark; 2598.584, 30.480 and 8.260 ppm for the root wood; 545.025,26.730 and  7.719 ppm  for the seed; 60922.83, 114.549 and 29.572 ppm for the stem bark and  7734.618, 58.501 and 23.694 ppm for the stem wood at 30 minute, 24 hours and 48 hours post exposures  respectively at  doses 200, 100, 50, 25, 12.5, 6.25, 3.125 and 1.563 ppm against A. salina . The toxicity of the extracts could be arranged in the order: seed > root wood > root bark> stem wood > leaf > fruit shell > stem bark extract. However, the extracts did not significantly inhibit the germination of mustard oil seeds, and thus its application to crops or to the crop field may not cause any harm to crop plants. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ujzru.v31i0.15402 Univ. j. zool. Rajshahi Univ. Vol. 31, 2012 pp. 59-64