Mites are one of the most notorious and destructive pests affecting stored grains, contaminating stored grain with toxins and reducing germination rates. Applying synthetic miticides is the sole method for providing knockdown control of mites. | Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Research Article Turk J Agric For (2013) 37: 585-594 © TÜBİTAK doi: The efficacy of crude aqueous extracts of some plants as grain protectants against the stored grain mite, Rhizoglyphus tritici 1 1, 1 Muhammad Hamid BASHIR , Muhammad Dildar GOGI *, Muhammad ASHFAQ , 2 1 1 Muhammad AFZAL , Muhammad Ahsan KHAN , Muhammad IHSAN 1 Department of Agricultural Entomology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan 2 Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan Received: Accepted: Published Online: Printed: Abstract: Mites are one of the most notorious and destructive pests affecting stored grains, contaminating stored grain with toxins and reducing germination rates. Applying synthetic miticides is the sole method for providing knockdown control of mites; however, the continuous application of miticides results in the contamination of grain with highly persistent toxic residues, which pose a health hazard to humans. The present research evaluates the efficacy of crude aqueous extracts of Azadirachta indica, Melia azedarach, Eucalyptus sp., Datura stramonium, and Citrullus colocynthis under laboratory conditions at 5 concentrations (, , 25%, 50%, and 100%) and 4 exposure periods (7, 14, 21, and 28 days) against Rhizoglyphus tritici (Acari: Acaridae) with the aim of exploring safe, natural grain protectants as alternatives to toxic synthetic miticides. There were concentration- and exposure-period–dependent EC50 and ET50 levels and efficacy against mites among all extracts, and levels increased significantly with increasing concentrations and exposure periods for all extracts. Regression equations and their probability values against EC50 and ET50 for each plant extract revealed a significant and positive role in mite population inhibition. Azadirachta indica, D. .
