Title: Larvicidal Efficacy of Citrus sinensis (Sweet Orange) Extracts against Anopheles Mosquito Carrier of Malaria (Culex quinquefasciatus)
Authors: Rabia Muhammad Abdullahi
Fatima Y. Dawud
Musa Ahmed Abubakar
Aisha Abba Habib
Umar Sani Dorayi
Volume: 9
Issue: 11
Pages: 220-228
Publication Date: 2025/11/28
Abstract:
The use of synthetic chemicals to control mosquito species has many harmful effects on human beings, animals, plants and their environment which are found to be polluted due to massive fall of the insecticides that are spread inside water sources. Natural botanicals have provided numerous sources of phytochemicals utilized in the development of effective mosquito control agents. The use of botanical derivatives in mosquito larvae, as alternative to synthetic insecticides offers more eco-friendly method of insect control than the use of synthetic chemicals. Thus, the main objective of the research was to evaluate the larvicidal efficacy of Citrus sinensis peel and leaf extracts on mosquitoes species known as Culex quinquefasciatus. The leaves and peel of citrus sinensis samples were collected from Na'ibawa market place and taken into the laboratory for identification at Plant Department, Bayero University Kano, Nigeria. The findings from the present studies indicated that both extracts at varying concentrations (2%, 3% and 4%) recorded the larval mortality within the period of five days, in which the leaf-extracts of the plant material showed high activity. However, the % larval mortality of Culex quinquefasciatus was found to be higher at high dose of concentration (4%). Hence, the larvicidal activity was dose dependent. Both extracts also have shown to contain different amounts of bioactive components after phytochemical investigation which includes; alkaloids, cardiac glycoside, flavonoids, total phenolics, saponins and tannins. Hence, both leaves and peels of Citrus sinensis could be a potential source of active larvicidal agents. Thus, the botanical derivatives used in mosquito control could diminish the cost and environmental pollution instead of synthetic insecticides.