Vol. 11, Special Issue 2 (2022)

Author(s):
MM Anees, SB Patil, DN Kambrekar, SS Chandrashekhar and Shamarao Jahagirdar

Abstract:
Nanoparticles are environmentally friendly novel technology that provide a platform for a cost- effective, long-term solution to the management of economic insect pests. Helicoverpa armigera (H.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a one of the most prominent and persistent polyphagous pests that inflicts significant damage to all main phenological phases of different crops. The major goal of this investigation was to provide an alternative management strategy by biosynthesising, characterizing, evaluating, and demonstrating the bio effectiveness of Adhathoda vasica and Asafoetida based zinc nanoparticles against 2nd instar larvae of H. armigera under laboratory conditions. In this experiment, zinc green nanoparticles were synthesised biologically from leaf extracts of A. vasica and Asafoetida using a magnetic heating method, and their bioefficacy was tested on H. armigera. UV-Visible spectroscopy was used to validate the creation of silver nanoparticles, and a Particle Size Analyzer (PSA) was used to determine particle size and distribution. The results revealed that silver nanoparticles biosynthesized from A. vasica and Asafoetida had average diameters of 94.60 nm and 75.80 nm, respectively. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) scans revealed that the majority of the nanoparticles were irregular in shape. In comparison to A. vasica based nanoparticles, Asafoetida based zinc nanoparticles were found to be more effective and had stronger insecticidal efficacy. At 2000 ppm, Asafoetida based ZnNPs registered larval mortality of 86.67 per cent against 2nd instar larvae, followed by A. vasica based ZnNPs, with 81.67 per cent mortality. The mean larval mortality increased when the concentration and exposure intervals were gradually increased. Leakage of bodily fluids, sluggishness, inactivity, brittleness, and other symptoms were produced by zinc nanoparticles.