Effect of four plant extracts on the infestation of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) walp) by Megalurothrips sjostedti (Trybom) and Mylabris pustulata (Thunberg)

Field studies were conducted on cowpea variety 87-9TDK, planted at 60 x 30cm spacing at the Teaching and Research farm of College of Crop and Sciences, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, in the rain forest ecological zone of Nigeria during the 2001 cropping season. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications. Hot water extracts from the milled leaves of Ocimum grattissimum, Vernonia amygdalina, Azadirachta indica and Chromolaena odorata controlled the cowpea field pests investigated. Two grammes per litre concentration of the crude plant extracts reduced the insects infestation and significantly (P< 0.05) increased yield. Azadirachta indica and Ocimum grattissimum were the most effective of the plant materials used.Keywords: plant extracts, cowpea, Megalurothrips sjostedti, Mylabris pustulata, control Global Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences Vol. 12(1) 2006: 19-2