13 botanical insecticides found effective in Mindanao

Thirteen plants have been found effective in controlling insects that attack plants, particularly potato, in Northern Mindanao.

The plants are lagundi, wild sunflower, madre de cacao, tubli, makabuhay, luyang dilaw, neem, tobacco, hot pepper, eucalyptus, adelfa, and atis.

These plants’ effectiveness in neutralizing greenhouse whitefly and sweetpotato (SP) whitefly were confirmed in a study conducted by a research team of the Northern Mindanao Integrated Agricultural Research Center (NOMIARC) in Dalwangan, Bukidnon.

The research, titled "Evaluation of indigenous botanical insecticides for the control of whitefly under screenhouse condition," was done by B.F. Tatoy, F.N. Abragan, J.B. Macabugto, J.B. Salvani, C.T. Apiag, and L.A. ramos. It was monitored by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD).

Greenhouse whitefly and SP whitefly are the most predominant among the many species of whitefly that attack plants, at NOMIARC, whitefly has become a major problem when potato was grown in screenhouses since 2000.

The NOMIARC researchers reported that extracts of the 13 plants sprayed at five percent concentration reduced the population of whitefly.

Specifically, extracts of tobacco leaves, hot pepper leaves, rhizomes of luyang dilaw, and roots of tubli had fast-acting effects both in the laboratory and screenhoouse.

Slow-acting poison was obtained from the extracts of neem leaves and seeds, madre de cacao leaves, vines of makabuhay, and wild sunflower leaves.

"The botanical insecticides were effective, environment-friendly, and had no adverse effects on health," the researchers concluded. – RAF