~ 172 ~ Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2017; 6(2): 172-176 E-ISSN: 2278-4136 P-ISSN: 2349-8234 JPP 2017; 6(2): 172-176 Received: 05-01-2017 Accepted: 06-02-2017 M Ranjith Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India Vinod Deotale Institute of Pesticide Formulation Technology, Gurgaon, Haryana, India DR Bajya Institute of Pesticide Formulation Technology, Gurgaon, Haryana, India T Manoharan Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India M Gajalakshmi Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India Correspondence M Ranjith Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India Evaluation of termiticidal activity and phytochemical anaylsis of Crotalaria burhia (Buch-Ham) and Anacardium occidentale (L.) M Ranjith, Vinod Deotale, DR Bajya, T Manoharan and M Gajalakshmi Abstract Crotalaria burhia (Buch-Ham) a member of fabaceae family and Anacardium occidentale (L.) belonging to family anacardaceae were tested for their termiticidal activity against Odontotermes obesus (Rambur) a major pest in wheat, sugarcane, maize and groundnut under laboratory conditions. Different concentration of aqueous root extracts of C. burhia and leaf dust of A. occidentale were prepared using standard methods. Aqueous root extracts of C. burhia at (10%) concentration resulted in 73.33 per cent mortality which was on par with higher concentration of (20%) which resulted in 76.67 per cent mortality. Powdered leaf dust of A. occidentale at (5%) resulted in 53.33 per cent mortality which was on par with (10 %) concentration. In both the experiments chlropyriphos maintained as a standard check gave cent per cent mortality 24 hours after treatment. Lower doses of C. burhia and A. occidentale were less effective against O. obesus and the phytochemical analysis of aqueous root extract of C. burhia and leaf dust of A. occidentale were found to possess carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids, flavonoids, saponins, wax, terpenoids, mucilage and gum. The termiticidal property of both the botanicals may be due to the presence of secondary metabolites which were already proved lethal to insects. Keywords: Crotalaria burhia, Anacardium occidentale, Termiticidal, Phytochemicals and Secondary metabolites Introduction Termites are the most troublesome pest of plants, trees and wooden structures. They severely damage agricultural crops and urban infrastructure. Out of 2,500 termites species in the world only 10 per cent have attained pest status. In India out of 300 species, about 35 have been reported as damaging agricultural crops and timber in buildings. Approximately, 15 to 20 per cent yield loss is reported in maize and it accounts for 1,478 million Rupees. Rajagopal (2002) [24] suggested that severe loss has been recorded by termites on highly susceptible crops such as wheat and sugarcane in Northern India. In South India, the crops that suffer maximum damage are maize, groundnut, sunflower and sugarcane while the victims in North Eastern and Western India are tea and cotton, respectively. In the past, the control of termites has been totally based on chemicals especially synthetic insecticides such as persistent organochlorine (OC) and organophosphate (OP) insecticides (Venkateswara et al., 2005) [25] . Replacement of synthetic chemicals by bio-rational insecticides is universally acceptable and approved worldwide (Logan et al., 1990) [15] . In this regard, bioactive compounds of plant origin are considered as ecologically safe alternatives. The plant extracts with complex mixtures of such compounds have been investigated for their insecticidal, repellent and anti-feedant properties (Zhu et al., 2001; Isman et al., 2006) [30, 9] . Because of the defense chemicals present, these plants can be used for the development of effective insecticides against termites and thus these plant chemicals would be able to replace the persistent synthetic insecticides (Ahmed and Qasim, 2011) [1] . Green pesticides despite their moderate efficacy are the latest global trend in the management of agricultural pests. Among the various botanicals, neem and pyrethrum have so far dominated the scene. Nevertheless considerable scope exists for the exploration of huge plant biodiversity for new plant based crop protectants (Mahapatro, 2011) [16] . Crotalaria burhia Buch- Ham belonging to Leguminaceae is an herb found in North- West India (Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat). It is known as Shinio in Rajasthan, its hindi name is bhip and in Punjabi it is known as Bhata and in Gujarat as Ghugato. The genus Crotalaria has 300 species worldwide and out of these, about 18 species are reported in India. Phytochemical studies have revealed that pyrrollizidine alkaloids are the main compounds in this plant.