VALORIZATION OF AQUEOUS EXTRACTS OF Nicotiana glauca GRAHAM (Solanaceae) ON LONGEVITY, SEXUAL BEHAVIOR AND OVIPOSITION BEHAVIOR OF Drosophila melanogatser (DITERA: DROSOPHILIDAE)

Nicotiana glauca Graham is an ornamental plant of the semi-arid region; its leaves are very rich in indolic alkaloids, which give it a larvicidal power that allows us to use it as bioinsecticide.

In this work, we aim to evaluate the direct (on longevity) and delayed (on sexual behavior, oviposition and reproduction) effect of N. glauca on the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster; using aqueous extracts of this plant. The treatment is done by ingestion on 2nd stage larvae (L2).

The results have shown that mortality rates can reach 100% after 15 days of treatment as we recorded a delay in the development of the flies. Similarly N. glauca reduces the longevity of newly emerged adults (males and females) While, the observation of the sexual behavior in adults from the treatment indicates that N. glauca acts negatively on the different sequences leading to mating in D. melanogaster , as well as on the ovipositor behavior or it decreases the number of eggs and larvae in treated females as it disturbs their layingchoice.