فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cocoa ( Theobroma cacao L.) is a major tropical cash crop in Indonesia, but yields are constrained by the cocoa pod borer ( Conopomorpha cramerella ), which can cause 30–50 percent losses. Conventional pyrethroid use often leads to resistance and harms non-target organisms; therefore, eco-friendly alternatives that preserve natural enemies are urgently needed. The study objectives were to evaluate oil-based botanical insecticides from Reutealis trisperma (candlenut) and Cerbera manghas (bintaro) for cocoa pod borer control and for impacts on non-target ants (Formicidae). METHODS: Field trials were conducted in South Sulawesi using a randomized complete block design (eight treatments × four replicates). Treatments included Reutealis trisperma and Cerbera manghas oil formulations (5 and 10 milliliters), a combined plant extract, lambda-cyhalothrin (1 milliliter), and untreated control. Applications were made with a knapsack sprayer every 15 days for six cycles. Thirty healthy pods per sampled tree were tagged and monitored for infestation, damage severity, and yield loss, which was estimated using a published regression model. Non-target monitoring focused on Formicidae; visual counts were recorded at each sampling and classified using an ordinal scale (+ = 1–10; ++ = 11–20; +++ = 21–30 ants per tree). Infestation, yield, and egg-laying suppression were analyzed by analysis of variance and Duncan’s Multiple Range Test at α = 0.05, while Formicidae data were summarized descriptively due to low field densities. FINDINGS: B otanical oil treatments significantly reduced cocoa pod borer infestation compared with the control (p < 0.05), decreasing from 35–72 percent initially to 0–10 percent by the fifth application; lambda-cyhalothrin showed no advantage (39–46 percent). Yield loss remained low in botanical treatments (0.00–0.98 percent) compared with 11.71 percent in the synthetic treatment, and egg-laying suppression reached 90–100 percent. Formicidae abundance remained in the low (+) category across botanical treatments, whereas the control averaged ++. No consistent treatment-related declines in ant abundance were observed. Phytotoxicity was minor and temporary. CONCLUSION: R. trisperma and C. manghas oil formulations are effective in suppressing cocoa pod borer and in conserving ants natural enemies under the conditions tested. These botanical insecticides therefore provide a viable, environmentally safer component of integrated pest management for sustainable cocoa production, with potential to reduce reliance on persistent synthetic pesticides when integrated with improved formulation and extension support.