Background Of the Study - draft

Cockroaches are hindered by cold temperatures, which is why they are attracted to the Philippines and
its burning heat. Farmers in a rural community are facing a growing threat from a destructive pest
species that is causing significant damage to their crops, and almost every household in the Philippines
has experienced a cockroach infestation. Cockroaches are carriers of diseases because they
like unsanitary environments. This can transmit germs that can spread through everywhere. According
to Labayog, M. (2019) This pest has adopted to our environment and developed resistance to synthetic
chemical insecticides, making it increasingly difficult and expensive to control. Moreover, the use of
synthetic pesticides products has raised concerns about environmental pollution and its harmful effects
to human health.

Different methods are used to manage cockroach infestations sustainably and with less environmental
impact. Their focus is on developing targeted insecticides, studying biological control agents such as
parasitic wasps and fungi, and comprehending cockroach behavior and biology. The promotion of
integrated pest management approaches and public education, and awareness is also taking place. The
researchers aim to effectively control cockroach infestations by employing a combination of tactics while
minimizing the use of harmful chemicals and their impact on the environment. Inquirer.net (2020).

Synthetic pesticide products are made from chemical compounds, such as polyester, nylon, and
spendex, which can be harmful to human bodies and environment. These chemicals can cause skin
irritation allergic reaction and even serious health problems and the excessive, unlimited, uninterrupted,
indiscriminate, and continuous application of synthetic insecticides as principal agents results in the
unwarranted toxic or lethal effects on non-target organisms. And also,it can be potential toxic in our
environment that can cause phenotypic changes and impact on plants defense system. Front.
Microbiol., 2022.

“Lemongrass” (Cymbopogon citratus) is a plant that is common to various southeast asian countries,
including our country. The Cymbopogon citratus plant also contains aromatic and odor scents that can
act as repellent or insecticides etc. According to Darvin (2019), the lemongrass has a major component
called the “citronella” that can effectively eradicate insects including cockroaches. According to Radunz
et al., (2022) the infestations among the corn crops were spreaded throughout the different regions of
the world and their objective in this study is to evaluate the insecticide and repellent effect of selected
essential oil which is lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) and the native lemongrass (Elionurus) against
maize weevil. According to Soonwera et al., (2022), there are several EO’s of the plants such as
Cymbopogon citratus that can repel against Periplaneta Americana with the combination of those
formulations in soybean oil and ethyl alcohol, the repellent rate with soybean oil is much higher
compared to ethyl alcohol.

The main RRL tackles using citronella extract (Cymbopogon nardus) as a plant insecticide for American
cockroaches (Periplaneta americana). According to Adib et al. (2022), this research study tested the
effectiveness of citronella extract as a natural insecticide against American cockroaches. The authors
also added that cockroaches can be exterminated naturally by using lemongrass extract as an
insecticide. There are studies that have tested the effectiveness of lemongrass as an insecticide;
however, they used lemongrass oil instead of lemongrass extract.
The goal of this study is to assess the cockroach mortality rate using lemongrass, which can effectively
kill or repel cockroaches (Darvin M., 2019) without harming people or other useful organisms. This study
will involve testing different concentrations and formulations of lemongrass extracts against cockroach
populations in controlled conditions. Pursuing the study of making alternative insecticide against
cockroaches is vital for environmental sustainability, human and pet safety, avoiding resistance,
ensuring food safety, enhancing community well-being, advancing scientific knowledge, and potentially
benefiting our local economies. To be specific this study is to assess the cockroach mortality rate using
lemongrass, which can effectively kill or repel cockroaches without harming people or other useful
organisms. This study will involve testing different concentrations and formulations of lemongrass
extracts against cockroach populations in controlled conditions.