The antifeedant activity of essential oil from Cymbopogon citratus and Piper bitle for controlling golden apple snail, Pomacea canaliculata

Golden apple snail, Pomaceacanaliculata (GAS) inflicted damage in major paddy granaryareas in Malaysia with estimated infected area more than 17,000 ha. Farmers use synthetic pesticide to control GAS infestation because its rapid effect. However, excessive applicationhad led to environmental pollution and hazard to applicators. There were many research on biopesticide had been done in order to reduce the dependency on synthetic pesticide. This research conducted to identify the active compounds of essential oil from lemongrass(Cymbopogoncitratus)and betel(Piper bitle) by GCMS. The bioassay and antifeedant activity test conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of this essential oil in controlling GAS population. The result from antifeedant activity test foressential oil of lemongrass showed high antifeedent activity, compared with essential oil of betel for controlling GAS.Keywords: golden apple snail; piper bitle; Cymbopogoncitratus; essential oil; antifeedan