Abstract
Abstract The toxicities of twenty-eight novel Schiff base metal(II) complexes to potato tuber moth (PTM), Phthormaea operculella Zeller, larvae were determined by separately exposing 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th instar larvae to treated potato slices in 2.5 cm dia Petri deshis. The insecticides Altracidin, Deltamac, and sevin were used as standards for comparisons. All Schiff base complexes tested were toxic at levels practical for PTM larvae control. However, some of them were much more toxic than others and generally, their toxicities decreased in successive instars. More than 1/2, 1/2, and 1/4 of the complexes were as or more effective than Ultracidin, Deltamac, and Sevin, respectively. The toxicity of the comple-xes tested could be attributed,at least in part, to their complimentarity with the site of action. Further laboratory and field tests are highly recom-mendded to fully assess the effectiveness of the most effective complexes as controls for PTM and/or other insects.
