Abstract
Cucumber, Cucumis sativus L. an important vegetable crop in southwestern Nigeria, faces significant threats from a diverse array of insect pests, requiring the application of synthetic insecticides for optimal fruit production. The associated drawbacks of insecticide usage, combined with its adverse effects on consumer health, highlight the need for an alternative control strategy. Field trials were carried out during the cropping seasons of 2013 and 2014, and subsequently repeated in the 2019, to assess the effectiveness of ten plant extracts against the insect pests of cucumber. The treatments were leaf extracts from ten plant species: Cymbopogon citratus, Carica papaya, Ocimum gratissimum, Vernonia amygdalina, Chromoleana odorata, Azadirachta indica, Gmelina arborea, Hyptis suaveolens, Alstonia boonei, and Ageratum conyzoides. Additionally, a synthetic insecticide, Lambdacyhalothrin, and water were applied as check and control treatments, respectively. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. Data collected were subjected to analysis of variance at 5% probability. The major insect pests associated with cucumber were leaf pests such as Aulacophora nigripennis, A. hilaris, A. foveicollis, Epilachna chrysomelina, and the fruit borer Bactrocera cucurbitae. The application of leaf extracts resulted in a notable reduction (p < 0.05) in populations of cucumber insect pests. The densities of E. chrysomelina, Aulacophora spp., and B. cucurbitae, along with their associated damage to cucumber leaves and fruits, demonstrated a significant decrease when cucumber was treated with leaf extracts of A. conyzoides and G. arborea. The effectiveness of A. conyzoides and G. arborea leaf extracts in controlling pests was evident, leading to a substantial increase in cucumber fruit yield. Consequently, these could be used as a practical alternative to synthetic insecticides.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Leaf extracts significantly reduced populations of cucumber insect pests compared with water.
- Taxon
- Cucumis sativus
Cucumis sativust0
- Treatment
- leaf extractse1
- Interactor
- insect pestse1pest
- Outcome
- populations of cucumber insect pestse1
- Direction
- reductione1
- Value
- p < 0.05e1
- Comparator
- watere2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Cucumber [Cucumis sativus (L.)]”
e1“The application of leaf extracts resulted in a notable reduction (p < 0.05) in populations of cucumber insect pests”
e2“Additionally, a synthetic insecticide, Lambdacyhalothrin, and water were applied as check and control treatments, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
Leaf extracts of A. conyzoides and G. arborea significantly decreased densities of E. chrysomelina and B. cucurbitae, as well as Aulacophora spp.
- Taxon
- Cucumis sativus
Cucumis sativust0
- Treatment
- leaf extracts of A. conyzoides and G. arboreae3
- Interactor
- E. chrysomelinae3pest
- Second interactor
- B. cucurbitae
Zeugodacus cucurbitaee3pest - Outcome
- densities of E. chrysomelina, Aulacophora spp., and B. cucurbitaee3
- Direction
- decreasee3
- Qualifier
- Aulacophora spp.e3
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
_03.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
t0“Cucumber [Cucumis sativus (L.)]”
e3“The densities of E. chrysomelina, Aulacophora spp., and B. cucurbitae, along with their associated damage to cucumber leaves and fruits, demonstrated a significant decrease when cucumber was treated with leaf extracts of A. conyzoides and G. arborea”
Claim · model-written summary
Leaf extracts of A. conyzoides and G. arborea significantly decreased associated damage to cucumber leaves and fruits.
- Taxon
- Cucumis sativus
Cucumis sativust0
- Treatment
- leaf extracts of A. conyzoides and G. arboreae3
- Outcome
- associated damage to cucumber leaves and fruitse3
- Direction
- decreasee3
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Cucumber [Cucumis sativus (L.)]”
e3“The densities of E. chrysomelina, Aulacophora spp., and B. cucurbitae, along with their associated damage to cucumber leaves and fruits, demonstrated a significant decrease when cucumber was treated with leaf extracts of A. conyzoides and G. arborea”
Claim · model-written summary
Leaf extracts of A. conyzoides and G. arborea substantially increased cucumber fruit yield.
- Taxon
- Cucumis sativus
Cucumis sativust0
- Treatment
- A. conyzoides and G. arborea leaf extractse4
- Outcome
- cucumber fruit yielde4
- Direction
- increasee4
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Cucumber [Cucumis sativus (L.)]”
e4“The effectiveness of A. conyzoides and G. arborea leaf extracts in controlling pests was evident, leading to a substantial increase in cucumber fruit yield”
Claim · model-written summary
The major insect pests of cucumber were leaf pests including Aulacophora nigripennis, plus the fruit borer Bactrocera cucurbitae.
- Taxon
- Cucumis sativus
Cucumis sativust0
- Interactor
- Aulacophora nigripennis
Aulacophora nigripennise5pest - Second interactor
- Bactrocera cucurbitae
Zeugodacus cucurbitaee5pest - Outcome
- major insect pests associated with cucumbere5
- Qualifier
- A. hilaris, A. foveicollis, Epilachna chrysomelinae5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

_03.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
t0“Cucumber [Cucumis sativus (L.)]”
e5“The major insect pests associated with cucumber were leaf pests such as Aulacophora nigripennis, A. hilaris, A. foveicollis, Epilachna chrysomelina, and the fruit borer Bactrocera cucurbitae”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend leaf extracts of these plants as a practical alternative to synthetic insecticides for cucumber.
- Taxon
- Cucumber
Cucumis sativust0
- Outcome
- practical alternative to synthetic insecticidese6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Cucumber [Cucumis sativus (L.)]”
e6“Consequently, these could be used as a practical alternative to synthetic insecticides”
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