Evaluation of in vitro acaricidal efficacy of Ricinus communis against tick infestation in cattle

Tick and tick-borne diseases are a global problem that impact the health and production of animals, resulting in financial losses for livestock owners. Traditional synthetic acaricides used to control ticks have been demonstrated to produce acaricidal resistance and environmental degradation. To overcome this, a study was designed to assess the in vitro acaricidal efficacy of methanolic leaf extract of Ricinus communis using five graded concentrations of 12.5, 25, 50, 75 and 100 mg/ml of distilled water against tick infestation in cattle. The mean percent mortality of engorged female ticks at the concentration of 75 and 100mg/ml of Ricinus communis was observed as 78.50 and 88.70 percent respectively on 15 days post treatment. The inhibition of oviposition of treated female ticks was 72.88 and 83.89 percent respectively at the same concentrations. The reduction of egg hatch assay was noted as 30.34 and 18.98 at the concentration of 75 and 100 mg/ml respectively showing significant efficacy of Ricinus communis at higher concentrations. The efficacy of Ricinus communis was observed as concentration dependant showing minimal efficacy at lower concentrations. The herbal extract of Ricinus communis has been shown to have considerable acaricidal efficacy in terms of mortality, egg laying capability and egg hatchability of ticks infesting cattle and can be an alternative to synthetic acaricides.