the search for alternative ways of controlling sericultural pests has led to the investigation of plant sources for naturally occurring compounds which may have insect growth regulatory, feeding deterrency, repellency and confusantcy characteristics. more than 2000 species of the families asteraceae, fabaceae and euphorbiaceae are known that possess some insecticidal activity. plants with insec...

Essential oils of medicinal plants have insecticidal properties as bio pesticides. In this study fumigant effect of three plant essential oils extracted from Nepeta crispa Willd (Lamiaceae), Satureja hortensis L. (Lamiaceae) and Anethum graveolens L. (Apiaceae) were investigated against third instar larvae of the Mediterranean flour moth, Ephestia kuehniella ...

The cry genes of Bacillus thuringiensis encode a diverse group of crystal-forming proteins that exhibit insecticidal activity, particularly against the larvae of lepidopteran, coleopteran, and dipteran insects. The efficacy of B. thuringiensis-based biopesticides may be improved through the genetic manipulation of these genes. A gene transfer system has been developed for the introduction and m...

Background Dengue fever is a serious public health issue in Pakistan for many years. Globally plants have been reported to contain compounds with insecticidal properties. These properties have been demonstrated more recently on the larval stages of mosquitoes. Therefore, Citrus cultivar seeds were evaluated for larvicidal potential against the primary dengue vector Aedes aegypti. Methods Extr...

Urease, a nickel-dependent metalloenzyme, is synthesized by plants, some bacteria, and fungi. It catalyzes the hydrolysis of urea into ammonia and carbon dioxide. Although the amino acid sequences of plant and bacterial ureases are closely related, some biological activities differ significantly. Plant ureases but not bacterial ureases possess insecticidal properties independent of its ureolyti...

Griffonia simplicifolia 11, an N-acetylglucosamine-specific legume lectin, has insecticidal activity when fed to the cowpea weevil, Callosobruchus maculatus (F.). A cDNA clone encoding G. simplicifolia II was isolated from a leaf cDNA library, sequenced, and expressed in a bacterial expression system. The recombinant protein exhibited Kacetylglucosamine-binding and insecticidal activity against...

The CHCl3-soluble extract of Piper guanacastensis (Piperaceae) was found to have noteworthy insecticidal activity to Aedes atropalpus mosquito larvae (LC50 80.5 micrograms/mL). Bioassay-guided fractionation afforded methyl 4-hydroxy-3-(3'-methyl-2'-butenyl)benzoate (1) as the major bioactive constituent (LC50 20.5 micrograms/mL). The separation of compound 1 from its transesterification artifac...

Hexachlorocyclohexane or the abbreviation HCH is identified as a monocyclic chlorinated hydrocarbon. HCH was discovered in 1825by Faraday, who just had discovered benzene. By reacting benzene with chlorine in bright sunlight, formation of HCH was observed. Neither Faraday nor the Dutch chemist Van der Linden, who in 1912 isolated the pure -isomer from a HCH mixture, realized the insecticidal p...