The results of this experimental research have proved that the alcoholic extract of tobacco leaves and the commercial insecticide Wormix Drop showed significant effectiveness in the fight against lice infesting local chickens in a controlled condition. The experiment design was such that it included well-defined negative control and treatment groups to accurately measure the actual effects of the agents under test and reduce confounding variables to a minimum. Moreover, rigorous acclimatization procedures and comprehensive clinical and microscopic analyses were used, which guaranteed the reliability and validity of the results. Such results indicate that the toxic-free extract of tobacco leaves could be an effective alternative or complementary method to using traditional commercial insecticides in the control of external parasites in chickens through a plant-based solution. However, further studies are recommended to evaluate long-term safety and large-scale field applicability.
Group 1 (G1) was treated with 40 mg/kg of an alcoholic extract of banana leaves.
Group 2 (G2) was treated with 80 mg/kg of an alcoholic extract of banana leaves.
Group 3 (G3) was treated with the conventional herbicide Wormix Drop
Group 4 (G4) was left as a positive (infected) group without any treatmen.
Group 5 (G5) was left as a negative (uninfected) group.
Keywords : Nicotiana tabacum; Alcoholic extract; Biting lice; Poultry ectoparasites; Botanical insecticide; In vitro evaluation.