Acaricidal activity of Aloe vera L. leaf extracts against Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduval) (Acarina: Tetranychidae)

Four different extracts of Aloe vera L. leaves were evaluated for acaricidal activity against female adults of carmine spider mite, Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduval), by slide-dip bioassay. At 72 h after treatment, the acetone extract showed the strongest acaricidal activity with LC 50 value of 90 ppm. The LC 50 values for ethyl acetate, water, and ethanol extracts were 113, 340, and 391 ppm, respectively. The acetone extract was fractionated using a silica gel column. Among the twenty-two fractions obtained the fifth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, fifteenth, and seventeenth fractions showed strong acaricidal activity, causing 80.39 to 92.16% mortality at 72 h after treatment. The tenth and eleventh fractions had the strong activity, with LC 50 values of 44 ppm and 33 ppm, respectively. The results suggested that A. vera has a great potential for development as a botanical acaricide for T. cinnabarinus control. It has been proposed that phytochemical composition plays a role in plant protection against mites. Here we demonstrated that Aloe vera extracts have potency to control Tetranychus cinnabarinus, and that the component in acetone extract is crucial for this acaricidal activity. [Display omitted] ► Aloe vera acaricidal activity against Tetranychus cinnabarinus was assessed. ► Active components were isolated to gain information on developing new Aloe-based pesticides. ► This study lays a solid groundwork for developing safe and effective Aloe-based mite control products.