Ability of Nicotiana glauca1 Extract to Repel the Pepper Weevil, Anthonomus eugenii2

Pepper Capsicum annum (Linnaeus) crops in Sinaloa, Mexico, are affected by the pepper weevil Anthonomus eugenii (Cano), a pest that damages the fruits. Thus, insecticides are necessary for its control. A bioassay was carried out to evaluate the repellency index of extracts of Nicotiana glauca (Graham) obtained by Soxhlet and maceration against the adults of A. eugenii. The repellent effect was determined by applying 5 and 10 mg/ml of the extracts to pieces of pepper. The extract was qualitatively screened for its phytochemicals to determine what type of toxic metabolites it produces. The N. glauca extract at 10 mg/ml had a very high repellency index of 0.07 (p=0.05) against the pepper weevil. Thus, it can be used in a physical barriers outside the crop to avoid this pest.