Insecticidal applications of nickel/nickel oxide nanocrystals prepared using cuscuta reflexa plant

Herein, we report the biosynthesis of Ni/NiO nanocrystals (NCs) using cuscuta reflexa (Amarvel) plant material. The formation of nickel (Ni) NCs was confirmed through numerous procedures viz. X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis., SEM-EDX and TEM. The prepared Ni/NiO nanoparticles were regular/irregular cube shape with average cube length of 150–200[Formula: see text]nm calculated using the TEM technique. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis showed the presence of chemicals from cuscuta reflexa extract. The synthesized Ni/NiO NCs solution was tested against storage grain pests as well as against mosquito larvae. It was observed that NPs were very effective against the storage grain pests (wheat weevil and red flour beetles). The effect of concentrations/dose was also studied along with varied times of action for the larvicidal effect of the as-prepared Ni/NiO NCs solution. The positive results from this study will certainly open new doors for the development of nanoNi-based green pesticides.