Molluscicidal activity of underutilized plant Calotropis procera (Ait.) R.Br
Aradhana Singh* and Veena B. Kushwaha**
*Department of Zoology, Akhilbhagya Post Graduate College Ranapar, Gorakhpur (India) **Department of Zoology, DDU Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur-273009 (India) *Address for Correspondence Email:aradhanadevsingh@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Calotropis procera commonly known as ‘Arkra’ is a popular medicinal plant found through the tropics of Asia and Africa. It has been widely used in traditional system for the tereatmentof the variety of disease due to the presence of various Cardenolides, triterpenoid, anthocyanins and hydrocarbon in it. In this paper an attempt to evaluate the toxicity of crude extract of leaves and stem bark of plant C. procera against harmful snail Lymnaea acuminata and I. exustus is made. These snails act as vactor for the causative organisim of facioliasis disease in herbivorous domestic animals. One of the best method to control this disease is to control these vactor snails . This can be a lone by using chemical pesticides or plant best pestisides. The chemical bestiside has been implicated in cousing in environmental problem. Hence the degradable plant best pestiside are considered as solution to this problem. The toxicity of aqueous extract of crude leaves and stem bark were both time and dose dependent. Aqueous extract of leaves of Calotropis pacera wash more toxic than aqueous extract of stem bark. The 96 hours LC50 of aqueous extract of leaves and stem bark was 201.30 mg/l and 248.36mg/l respectively against Lymnaea acuminata and I. exustus.