ABSTRACT

Toxicity of cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) — a by-product of cashew nut (4nacardium occidentale) was tested against termite attack on Pericapsis elata, Gmelina arborea and Tectona grandis wood species at Akanu-Ohafia, Ohafia Local Government Area, Abia State, Nigeria between June and September, 2018. Each wood species was cut into 8 pieces, 30 cm long, of which 4 were treated with CNSL and leaving 4 untreated (control) totaling of 24 wood samples used. Wood samples were partially buried in the ground randomly at 10 cm apart in a termite prone area selected and left undisturbed. After three months, wood species ‘were removed and data on their weight loss and damage was collected based on rapid visual assessment using the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and pest severity scale (PSS) techniques. Results from data analysis showed that there was no significant difference in weight loss due to termite infestation between treated (6.6%) and untreated (18.8%) wood species. Data on rating revealed that the treated wood species, G. arborea (9.78), P. elata (9.78) and T. grandis (9.60) had no termite attack while untreated wood species P. elata (8.28) had traces of termite attack and G. arborea (7.20) and T. grandis (7.20) had moderate termite attack. A similar feat was also recorded for the scores. This result led to the conclusion that cashew nutshell liquid has pesticidal effects against termite attack.