A safe and effective pesticide

ILEIA Newsletter Vol. 11 No. 4 p. 31

A safe and effective pesticide

Milaflor L. Morales Heres good news to farmers and environmentalists! Environmental contamination and high cost of production due to indiscriminate use and over dependence on petroleumbased chemical pesticides could now be alleviated through the discovery of a botanical pesticide by the Cotton Research and Development Institute (CRDI) based in Batac, Ilocos Norte. Its the physic nut, scientifically called Jatropha curcas. Locally its called the tubangbakod (or tawwatawwa) because it is commonly planted as a fence around residential and farm lots. Ordinarily, the seeds are used as purgative while the leaves and bark are used for treating fractured bones and pain in the abdomen. With the results of the experiments conducted by Dr. Aida DecenaSolsoloy, an entomologist at CRDI, the insecticidal potential of the crude oil extracted from tubangbakod can now be harnessed through formulation into an emulsifiable concentrate. According to Solsoloy, the crude oil extracts from the tubangbakod cause abnormalities on treated bollworm and flowerweevil. Furthermore, she says that other agricultural pests like weevil for stored grains like corn, rice and mungbean can be controlled. on the other hand, golden snail, a major rice pest could also be controlled with tubangbakod through dust formulation. Likewise, it is anticipated that with the proper formulation, it wards off household pests such as cockroaches, rats and houseflies. "Indigenous plants that are just taken for granted may provide the answers to pest problems without resorting to petroleumbased chemical pesticides" says Dr. Solsoloy. She believes that mother nature could help man solve environmental problems if only he is keen and resourceful enough to discover them. "Pesticide from tubangbakod is simple and easy to make. Even the farmers themselves can make it" she explains. The formulated product is yellow and turns white when mixed with water. Its odour is similar but less intense than that of kerosene. It forms a uniform suspension with water. Thus, it is convenient for small farmers to use because it does not clog the nozzle of the knapsack sprayer. Likewise, they no longer worry for being contaminated. As of this writing, its commercialisation is in the offing. A cooperative in Batangas is planning to embark on the mass production and commercialisation of the product. Likewise, the National PostHarvest Institute for Research and Extension (NAPHIRE) is coordinating on the possibility of trying it on several stored grain insect pests.

A safe and effective pesticide

A safe and effective pesticide The development and recognition of tubangbakod as a source of safe and effective pesticide in the form of an emulsifiable concentrate (EC) is a breakthrough in pest control. This paves the way for having an either alternative source of pesticides or reduction in the use of hazardous chemical pesticides through integration with formulated Jatropha. With this breakthrough, it only proves that nature is an abundant source of pesticidal resources for the use against agricultural pests. A botanical pesticide like tubangbakod is not only effective, it is also lowcost, biodegradable and not harmful to beneficial insects! Milaflor L. Morales, Cotton Research and Development Institute, Batac, 2906 Ilocos Norte, Philippines. How to make a biopesticide from Jatropha 1. Gather mature fruits of physic nut then air dry 2. Dehull the seeds 3. Grind them to fineness 4. Soak the powder in petroleum ether in 23 days 5. Decant the supernatant in a widemouthed container 6. Evaporate. The remaining fluid is the crude oil. Mix 1400 ml of the formulated Jatropha with 16 litres of water (or one tank load of a knapsack sprayer). For one hectare of cotton 7 tank loads (112 litre) are needed. We can only give specific recommendation for cotton for the meantime, as Dr. Teodoro S. Solsoloy is currently working on grain products with the National Post Harvest Institute for Research and Extension in the Philippines. Dr. Aida Solsoloy, is still working on the determination of the recommended rate for using powder dust on rice. The dust formulation or wettable powder was tried on molluscs, specifically on golden snail the major rice pest problem in the Philippines and was found to be effective. The powder is broadcast in the field. 1. Gather mature fruits of physic nut then air dry. 2. Grind the seeds (including the husk) to fineness. 3. Broadcast to rice field infested with golden snail. For more information, please contact the researchers, Dr. Aida DecenaSolsoloy and Dr. Teodoro S. Solsoloy, both entomologists at the Crop Protection Department of the Cotton Research and Development Institute, Batac, Ilocos Norte, Philippines. Back to Top

A safe and effective pesticide