Abstract
Background: Maize plants are infested with many insect pests. The corn borer, namely: the greater sugarcane borer (the pink borer), Sesamia cretica Led. is one of the most injurious insects infesting maize in Egypt and all over the world. Results: Results illustrated that the mortality percentage within 48 hours of S. cretica after feeding 4th instar larvae on maize leaves treated with various plant extracts with alcohol or petroleum- ether shows varying degrees of mortality percentages. Petroleum ether extract of Cressa cretica was extremely effective, causing 87.5% mortality. Petroleum ether extracts of Amborosia maritima, Calotropis procera, and alcohol extract of C. cretica, causing 77.5% mortality. The effectiveness may be due to the presence of diverse chemical groups in these plant extracts with toxic to the larvae of the pink borer. On the other hand, extracts of Lycopersicum esculentum, Lotus glenoid, Aerva javanica, Carpobrotus edulis, Capsium annum, and Cassia senna have been minimum toxic effect and causing 7.5, 10.0, 12.5, and 12.5 % mortality, respectively. The influence of minimal toxic plant extracts as antifeedant to the pink borer (S. cretica) was studied. Food consumption varied depending on the feeding time and extracts tested. The feeding ratio of S. cretica on the different extracts was significantly different. The anti-feeding activity of extracts appears to have had a higher effect than its toxicity.
