Using Garlic as a Natural Pesticide

Today, most Filipino farmers and even commoners are suffering from several kinds of insect pests. Filipinos want to know how to get rid and prevent the spread of different insect pests, so the researchers conduct an insecticide that is made up of garlic. Why garlic? The researchers chose garlic because of its unique characteristics that could be made as an effective insecticide. We all know that garlic is only use as an ingredient for cooking but we don’t know that this garlic can be use an insecticide.

This insecticide can easily be made rather than buying an insecticide that is expensive and harmful to our environment but this garlic insecticide is opposite. This is cheaper and safe for our environment. This study aims to promote environment-friendly results. People now are getting confuse on what is the best organic insecticide that eventually eliminates several pests. So the researchers want to introduce this study to come up to an effective insecticide that people can use in getting rid of insect pests in an organic and easy way.

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Statement of the Problem
1. Can garlic be an effective insecticide?
2. Will garlic be a better substitute for other chemical insecticide?

Hypothesis

A.) Yes, garlic can be an effective insecticide and a substitute for other chemical insecticide.
B.) No, garlic cannot be an effective insecticide and a substitute for other chemical insecticide.

Significance of the Study

The researchers conducted this study to help commoners and even farmers in controlling the vast spread of insects in the community.

This study led to the making of an alternative insecticide that can be made at home easily. The research is also conducted to know the other uses of garlic beside from using it as an ingredient in cooking.

Scope and Limitation

This study focuses on garlic as an effective insecticide for insects such as aphids and soft-bodied insects. This research will only study about the effectiveness of a garlic as an organic insecticides.

This study will not cover the use of it to other kinds of pests. This will also not cover the chemical reactions of plants to the said insecticide.

Chapter II

Review of Related Literature

Garlic (Allium sativum)

Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Garlic has been used as both food and medicine in many cultures for thousands of years, dating back to when the Egyptian pyramids were built. In early 18th-century France, gravediggers drank crushed garlic in wine believing it would protect them from the plague that killed many people in Europe. During both World Wars I and II, soldiers were given garlic to prevent gangrene. Today garlic is used to help prevent heart disease, including atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries (plaque buildup in the arteries that can block the flow of blood and may lead to heart attack or stroke), high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and to boost the immune system.

There are a lot of studies say that garlic helps protect against cancer. Garlic is rich in antioxidants, which help destroy free radicals -- particles that can damage cell membranes and DNA, and may contribute to the aging process as well as the development of a number of conditions, including heart disease and cancer. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals and may reduce or even help prevent some of the damage they cause over time. Its strong flavor makes it used for spices, seasoning and flavoring for foodstuff involving both green tops and bulbs. As an insecticide, its odor may also mask the smell that pests use to find their preferred host.

(http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/garlic-000245.htm#ixzz2CLuNBckM) The active component in garlic is the sulfur compound called allicin. Allicin is the chemical produced when garlic is chopped, chewed, or bruised. Allicin is quite powerful as an antibiotic and a potent agent that helps the body to inhibit the ability of germs to grow and reproduce. In fact, it's said that 1 milligram of allicin has a potency of 15 standard units of penicillin; drug that is effective against many previously serious diseases.

(http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/garlic-benefit.shtml#ixzz2CTp1CgBA) Other use:
The sticky juice within the bulb cloves is used as an adhesive in mending glass and porcelain in China. An environmentally benign garlic-derived polysulfide product is approved for use in the European Union (under Annex 1 of 91/414) and the UK as a nematicide; a substance or preparation used to destroy roundworms, and insecticide. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic)

Studies found out that garlic is effective against a wide range of diseases and insects at different stages in their life cycle (egg, larvae, adult). This includes ants, aphids, army worms, caterpillars, Colorado beetle, diamondback moth, pulse beetle, whitefly, wireworm, false codling moth, imported cabbage worm, khapra beetle, mice, mites, moles, Mexican bean beetle, peach borers and termites as well as fungi and bacteria. (http://en.howtopedia.org/wiki/How_to_Use_Garlic_as_a_Natural_Pesticide)

Vegetable oil

Vegetable oil is any various oils obtained from plants and used in food products and industrially. There are many sources of oils like sesame, palm, soybean, rapeseed, sunflower seed, cottonseed, olive, coconut, palm kernel and peanut. A vegetable oil is a triglyceride extracted from a plant. It means that it contains glycerol and three fatty acids. Vegetable oils provide a number of nutrients the body needs, including essential fats and vitamins. They also offer a wide variety of ways to flavor your food while boosting its nutrient content.

Studies have showed that vegetable oil, when sprayed on plants, helps to kill insects. The oil coats the bodies of the insects as they come into contact with the oil, breaking down their outer shells. The vegetable oil will then wash away in rain or wear away in the sun, leaving no harmful chemicals on the plants. A study found out that vegetable oil in water (from Rapeseed oil) can possibly suffocate insects or puts them off feeding.

Dishwashing Soap

Now, there are different kinds and brands of dishwashing soap arising. Dishwashing liquid, also known as dishwashing soap and dish soap, is a detergent used to assist in dishwashing. It is usually a highly-foaming mixture of surfactants-­­­-compounds that lower the surface tension of a liquid, with low skin irritation, and is primarily used for hand washing of glasses, plates, cutlery, and cooking utensils in a sink or bowl.

The main ingredient usually used in dishwashing liquid is phosphate. A phosphate is an inorganic chemical, a salt of phosphoric acid. Phosphates are one component that totally dissolved solids, a major indicator of water quality, but not all phosphorus is in a molecular form which algae can break down and consume.

Chapter III

Methodology

This investigatory project is experimental. The researchers need to know if this garlic spray can be use as an effective insecticide. If this experiment will prove that garlic spray can be use as an insecticide, many people especially farmers will use it into their plants to kill insects.

Materials:

Tablespoon Strainer
2 Containers (big and small)
Spray bottle
Mortar and pestle

Ingredients:

3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 liter of water
1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid (any)

Procedures:

1. First, prepare all the materials needed.
2. Crush the 3 cloves of garlic with the use of the mortar and pestle.
3. Prepare the small container where to put the garlic and the vegetable oil.
4. Put the garlic (3 cloves, crushed) and pour 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil. Leave and soak overnight.
5. Strain and add to another container with 1L of water and dishwashing liquid.
6. Pour the mixture to the sprayer. Spray regularly.