Laboratory studies were carried out on the effects of an emulsifiable concentrate (EC) formulation of Azadirachtin (AZ) (6 g a.s./l EC) on four major cotton pests in Senegal: Spodoptera littoralis Boisduval (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Helicoverpa armigera Hϋbner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Aphis gossypii Glover (Homoptera: Aphididae) and Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae). In both S. littoralis (SL) and H. armigera (HA), larval weight loss was observed 48 h after treatment. Appreciable weight gain was only observed in SL larvae at dosages of 0.05 and 0.1 g a.s. /l AZ, 72 h after treatment. In both SL and HA, there was a significant difference (p < 0.05) between the control larvae and those treated with 0.1 to 1.5 g a.s. /l AZ. At a dosage of 1.5 g a.s./l, AZ caused 60% mortality in SL and 0% mortality in HA, 72 h after treatment. The treatment with AZ at dosages of 0.05 and 1.5 g a.s./l resulted in 50 and 30% malformation in SL and HA pupae respectively. The duration of development from the IV instar larva to pupa in both lepidopterans increased progressively with AZ dosage. SL was more susceptible to AZ than HA. No growth disrupting effects were observed in A. gossypii (AG) and T. urticae (TU) where EC50 values of 1.49 and 1.36 g a.s./l AZ respectively were obtained. The implications of the effects of AZ on further field trials against cotton pests are discussed.
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