Acaricidal and Ovicidal Effects of Vitex negundo, Against Oligonychus coffeae, A Common Pest Found in Tea Gardens of North Bengal, India

Abstract

Tea, a widely consumed and economical beverage across 65 nations, confronts substantial challenges from pests, notably the destructive Red spider mites, which pose significant hurdles for the industry due to their resilient nature and severe impact. Chemical pesticides, while effective against pests in tea production, degrade tea quality, prompting exploration into natural alternatives like floral diversity for pest control. A study in North Bengal, India, aims to the pest-controlling abilities of common weed found in tea gardens in the Terai and Dooars regions.The aqueous extracts of Vitex negundo L. as biocide employed in this study demonstrated substantial acaricidal and oviposition deterrent action against the tea Red Spider Mite Oligonychus coffeae after 48 hours of application. In the future, this aqueous extract could prove to be a fairly priced and efficient acaricide.