Chapter II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

There are no studies or articles that talk about marigold and chili pepper,

especially cayenne pepper used together to help in eradicating insects. However,

individually these plants both have the components as an insecticide for plants. The

insects that destroys the plants mostly are aphids, Ladybird beetle, corn earworm etc.

As stated by, Mattah, M. et al (2015), Seventy percent (70%) of the farmers had

been using insecticides for over 5 years whereas only 8.3% did not use synthetic

insecticide at all in their farming activities.Insecticides kill by affecting the physiology of

the insect. It abrades the skin of the insects (roughens the skin or wear it away), causing

them to lose water. Synthetic insecticides are helpful, but they can also be dangerous.

Some insecticides, called broad spectrum poisons, kill a variety of organisms. Besides

killing pests, they kill harmless and helpful organisms such including wasps, spiders and

other natural enemies of pests.

Wishhart, M (2005) said that marigolds are brightly colored members of the

aster/daisy family, one of the largest plant families. While some marigold species are

perennials, most of the common types are annuals that die with the first frost. While it is

mostly used for aesthetic purposes, it has also been found out that it has a great potential

as an organic insecticide. As stated by Simons, P. (2003), organic gardeners know that

marigolds help neighbouring plants by wardingoff nasty pests.A team led by C. Wells of

the University of Alabama studied three species of marigold.T hey boiled extracts from

their roots, leaves and flowers, then, and that the flowers were the most potent part of
 each plant. The Tagetesminutae separated the individual chemicals using gas

chromatography. Wells and his colleagues found that all three species had insecticidal

propertiesspecies contained the most powerful insecticide.The chemists found that

several compounds in the plants were insecticidal, including volatile chemicals called

thiophenes. These killed the larvae and adults of both Aedesaegyptii, the mosquito that

carries the malaria disease, and Anopheles stephensi, the mosquito responsible for

carrying yellow fever.

It is also further confirmed by Halford, B. (2019), who said that one of the volatile

compounds of the marigold is limonene, a terpene that the pests find repugnant. Sobel, A.

(2019) said that alimonene is a chemical found in the rind of citrus fruits, such as lemons,

limes, and oranges. However, it is also found out it is also released by the marigold plant.

Due to its strong aroma, limonene is utilized as a botanical insecticide. It’s an active

ingredient in multiple pesticide products, such as eco-friendly insect repellents. As

pointed out by the Newscastle University (2019), since limonene repels the whitefly

without killing them, using it doesn't affect the quality of the produce.

Meanwhile, according to Colon, N. et al (2016) the cayenne pepper, also known

as siling labuyo is one of well-known spice all over the world. It gives a sizzling hotness

of any food which makes people crave for it. Chili pepper has health sustaining properties

as well and had been found to have rich in Vitamin A and C contents (Aguhob et al.,

2015).

As indicated by Salter, G. (2020), chili peppers are very strong and insects (as

well as other animals) have a very powerful sense of smell and taste. The chili works to
basically fry their senses and causes them pain. They learn from their mistakes and do not

bother your produce.Several different compounds are found in the various varieties of

chillies but the dominant compound is capsaicin. Capsaicin is responsible or the heat in

chillies.  Gervais, J. A. et al (2008) said thatcapsaicin is very irritating to the skin and

eyes, and it causes swelling in lung tissue. It can also irritate the mucous membranes in

the mouth. In insects and mites, it appears to damage membranes in cells and disrupt the

nervous system.As stated in the webpage of compoundchem.com, experiments have

estimated that in mice, the median lethal dose (dose required to kill half of a test

population) is around 47.2mg/kg.

Also, as remarked by Luukinen, B. (2008), since capsaicin from the chilli is

organic, it should not be very mobile in soil. It is also not expected to turn into a vapor.

Bacteria in the soil break down capsaicin. Capsaicin is not expected to get into

groundwater although it may leach from soil in some cases. Half of the capsaicin applied

to soil broke down in 2 to 8 days, so its usage is not harmful to the environment.
REFERENCES:

Books:

 Mattah, M., Mattah, P., & Futagbi, G. (2015). Pesticide Application among

Farmers in Catchment of Ashaiman Irrigation Scheme of Ghana. University of

Ghana, Legon

 Ware, G. & Whitacre, D. (2004). An Introduction to Insecticides (4th Edition).

Willoughby, Ohio: Meister Media Worldwide

Articles:

 Halford, B. (2019). The chemistry behind marigolds’ pest-control power.

(Retrieved from https://cen.acs.org/biological-chemistry/natural-

products/chemistry-behind-marigoldspest-control-power)

 Wishardt, M. (2005). What Type of Plant Is a Marigold?. (Retrieved from

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/type-plant-marigold-65612.html?)

 Sobel, A. (2019). What Is Limonene? Everything You Need to Know.(Retrieved

from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/d-limonene?)

 Nelson, C., Gapo, C., et al (2010). Testing the Insecticidal Potential of Chilli

Pepper (Capsicum frutescens) Fruit Exctract against Termites (Coptetermos

gestroi) (Retrieved from

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308063556_Testing_the_Insecticidal_Po

tential_of_Chili_Pepper_Capsicum_frutescens_Fruit_Extract_against_Termites_C

optotermes_gestroi?)