Assessment of the Effectiveness of Neem Tree (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) both as Termite-Repellant and Fertilizer Agent in Eritrea

IntroductionCrop damage caused by various pests is one of the biggest problems in agriculture. A safe and useful alternative to synthetic pesticides is provided by plant extracts. Among these plants are Neem trees, whose compounds have shown great promise in the control of insect pests. MethodsAzadirachta indica was collected from Asmara around Orotta hospital. To improve the extraction efficiency, the dried leaves were crushed and a solution was prepared for spraying. The weight loss of the attacked wood and the mortality rate of termites were measured. Macrotermes ballicosus was taken from a termite mound that was excavated and put into two different containers with identical spaces. For both the control and experimental (sprayed with the sample solution) trials, six pieces of wood with weights of 30g, 30g and 20g were placed in the mound. Fertilizer was prepared from Neem seeds and used to assess the impact of the various treatments on the Lactuca sativa plots in two different sites. ResultsAn increase in the hours of Neem extract exposure showed an increase in the corrected mortality rate. It started with 0 hours at 0%, and at 18 hours, there was 11% increase in mortality rate, until it started to decrease due to the low number of insects. In the control group, the mound began to close up after five hours, but in the experimental group, the hole remained open after 36 hours. The present study found experimental group had 50% weight loss, while the control group had a total weight loss of 75%. The extract had an efficiency of 25% decrease in weight loss. The plots with medium concentrated extraction showed a greater mean area (918 cm2 -site one and 482.5 cm2 -site two) than the experimental and control groups. ConclusionAzadirachta indica extract is highly effective in controlling Macrotermes ballicosus. To find out how effective Neem is against a variety of other common insect pests and at larger doses, more research is necessary.