Chili Peppers (Capsaicin) as an Alternative Pesticide

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Pesticides are any substance that is used to repel pests. However, exposure to it poses a real threat to human health and to the environment. Capsaicin is a hydrophobic substance, which acts on epithelial cells of animals. It is not poisonous and naturally occurs in the environment as a defense mechanism. Thus, the study was conducted to use capsaicin as an ingredient to produce a safe to use, cheap, and environmental friendly pesticide.

METHODS

The study adapted an experimental research design. There were two products tested; a commercial pesticide and an alternative pesticide with capsaicin as its active ingredient. In the design, three variables were taken into consideration and were tested: first is the survival time of the common farm pests: grasshoppers, caterpillars, and snails if sprayed with the alternative pesticide with low, average and high capsaicin concentration. Next came the survival time of the same garden pests sprayed with a commercial pesticide, and the best concentration from the first experiment. The researchers also considered testing the alternative pesticide against ants and termites.

RESULTS

The first experiment tested the three distinct concentrations with a survival time mean of 15.27, 14.71 and 8.6221 minutes respectively. One-way ANOVA was used with an f-value of 6.32; larger than the critical value, 3.739 that rejected the null hypothesis. In the second experiment, the best concentration was pitted against the commercial pesticide with a mean of 0.512 minutes. T-test was used resulting a t-value of 2.31 as comparedto the critical value of 1.423, which rejected the null hypothesis. This implies that commercial pesticide is still superior in terms of effectivity than the alternative pesticide. In the last experiment, the alternative pesticide with high capsaicin concentration was used against ants and termites. These showed a survival time mean of 30.67, and 23 seconds respectively.

DISCUSSIONS

An alternative pesticide using capsaicin extract from chili pepper as the active ingredient is somewhat plausible. The pesticide was successful in eliminating the threat of pests, however in the mercy of luck. The concentration was not measured molecularly, while the health of the pests was also not consistent. Along with it came a small sample size and rough sterilization of the tools used. This pesticide is recommended to households and not to the industrial sector.