Invitro Acaricidal Activity Of Selected Medicinal Plants Against Ticks Affecting Domestic Animals In And Around Bishoftu
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2026
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Addis Abeba University
Abstract
Ticks are among the most important ectoparasites affecting livestock in Ethiopia, causing economic losses through blood loss, skin damage, reduced productivity, and transmission of disease. Synthetic acaricides are commonly used for tick control, their effectiveness is threatened by acaricide resistance, environmental contamination, and residue concerns. Therefore, present study was carried out to evaluate the invitro acaricidal activity of crude methanolic and n-hexane extracts of five medicinal plants in central Ethiopia namely Calpurnia aurea, Ricinus communis, Premna schimperi, Lepidium sativam, and Aloe yavellana against adult Amblyomma variegatum, and Rhipicephalus decoloratus using invitro adult immersion test. Adult tick were collected from naturally infested cattle in and around Bishoftu. Five graded concentration crude extracts by both solvents 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, and 100mg/mL were tested in triplicate at different time intervals (0.5, 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours). The tick mortality was recorded at each time interval. Diazinon 0.1%, and distilled water with tween 80 and DMSO were used as positive and negative control respectively. The phytochemical screening of five plant species showed that methanolic extract
contained Alkaloids, Flavonoids, Terpenoids, Saponins, Glycoside, and Steroids, while n-hexane extracts contained only terpenoids, and steroids. All tested plants demonstrate significant dose and time dependent Acaricidal activity against adult ticks, with methanolic extracts proving most effective. Notably, at 100mg/mL after 24 hours, methanolic extract of C. aurea (90% mortality), and P. schimperi (83.3% mortality) matching or exceeding diazinon (80%). Based on LC50 values the methanolic extract of P. schimperi exhibited the highest Acaricidal potency (2.18mg/mL), followed by R. communis (3.84 mg/mL), C. aurea (6.79 mg/mL), L. sativam (8.58 mg/mL), and A. yavellana (20.17mg/mL). Overall, P. schimperi, and C. aurea methanolic extracts were showed promising as eco-friendly botanical acaricides against adult ticks, though further research is required to isolate their active compounds and validate their safety and efficacy under field condition.
Description
Keywords
Acaricidal Activity, Central Ethiopia, Invitro Assay, Medicinal Plants, Tick Control