Molluscicidal activity of Ferula asafoetida, Syzygium aromaticum and Carum carvi and their active components against the snail Lymnaea acuminata

The molluscicidal activity of dried root latex powder of Ferula asafoetida, flower-bud powder of Syzygium aromaticum and seed powder of Carum carvi against the snail Lymnaea acuminata was studied. The molluscicidal activity of all the three plant products was found to be both time and concentration dependent. The toxicity of S. aromaticum flower-bud powder (96 h LC50:51.98 mg/l) was more pronounced than that of root latex powder of F. asafoetida (96 h LC50:82.71 mg/l) and seed powder of C. carvi (96 h LC50:140.58 mg/l). Ethanol extract was more toxic than other organic extracts. The ethanol extract of S. aromaticum (24 h LC50:83.53 mg/l) was more effective than that of F. asafoetida (24 h LC50:132.31 mg/l) and C. carvi (24 h LC50:130.61 mg/l) in killing the test animals. The 96 h LC50 of column purified fraction of seed powder of C. carvi was 5.40 mg/l whereas those of flower-bud powder of S. aromaticum and dried root latex powder of F. asafoetida were 7.87 and 9.67 mg/l, respectively. The product of F. asafoetida, S. aromaticum and C. carvi may be used as potent molluscicides.