Evaluation of phytochemical profile, bioefficacy and repellent activity of Parmelia perlata against sitophilus species

It is estimated that, need for food will surge by 60 to 98% in the coming years. To meet the escalating demand for food in our densely inhabited world, safeguarding grains from insect pests has become a trending subject. To overcome these issues, there is an urgent need to develop green, environment friendly, cost effective and long-lasting techniques to protect grains from insect pests. The main objective of the current investigation is to analyse phytochemical constituents, and to evaluate bioefficacy and repellent activity of Parmelia perlata against Sitophilus species. Different concentrations of ethanol and methanol extracts are investigated for its insecticidal and repellent activity. The phytochemicals found include phytosterol in ethanol extract, saponins and phytosterols in the methanol extract. The mortality rate rose proportionally with the extension of the time interval following the treatment. The LC50 value of ethanol extract after 72 hours of exposure is 153.152 mg/L and LC50 Value of methanol extract after 72 hours of exposure is 194.919mg/L. The ethanol extract appears to be more potent when compared to the methanol extracts. The average repellent percentage of Parmelia perlata ethanol extract is 51.85% at 500mg/L concentration. The P-Value of ethanol extract is 1.1971 X 10-192 and for methanol extract the P-Value is 2.5349 X 10-169 which is less than 0.01 which shows the results obtained are significant. The bioactive compounds in the extract are likely responsible for its effectiveness. Thus, Parmelia perlata is a promising grain protectant, ensuring seed viability.