Screening of Costa Rican Trichilia species for biological activity against the larvae of Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Crude methanolic extracts made from the twigs of 39 plant samples from six species of Trichilia collected in Costa Rica, were incorporated into artificial diet and fed to neonate Spodoptera litura larvae. All six plant species tested significantly reduced larval growth after 7 and 10 days. The most active species was T. americana, reducing growth, on average, to 3.9% of control at 1000 ppm fresh weight. The least active, on average, was T. glabra. A twig extract of T. americana proved to be more active than wood, bark or leaf extracts, with the twig extract reducing growth of S. litura larvae by 50% (EC(50)) at a dietary concentration of 17.2 ppm. When 7. americana wood extract was incorporated into artificial diet (10, 25, 50 and 75 ppm) and fed to S, litura larvae throughout larval development, growth was slowed and the final weight of pupae and adults was reduced. At higher extract concentrations (50 and 75 ppm) larvae entered one or two supernumerary instars before pupation occurred. This was shown to be due to both starvation and to post-ingestive activity of the extract. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.