Insecticidal activity of Coptis chinensis extract against Myzus persicae (Sulzer)

Abstract

In view of the environmental and health hazards posed by synthetic insecticides, the use of plant products as botanical insecticides has gained increasing in recent years. In this study, we reported the insecticidal activity of extracts isolated from Coptis chinensis. On crude extraction, among the various solvent types tested (water, 1% (w/v) of sodium hydroxide, 70% ethanol), the 70% ethanol extract showed the best insecticidal activity (36.5%). Three different fractions (n-hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate) were obtained from crude extract (70% ethanol) of the chloroform fraction and found to have noteworthy insecticidal activity (62.9%) by filter paper contact bioassay. Their chemical structures were identified as 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol and aniline by head space-GC-MS analysis. Both compounds displayed a dose-dependent insecticidal activity of Myzus persicae (Sulzer). Insecticidal activity at the lowest concentration tested (500 ppm) approached 85.4% in the aniline compared with 79.9% in the 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol. The insecticidal activity was greater for the aniline than 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol. It is believed that the insecticidal activity is due mainly to the presence of aniline.