Effect of Lemongrass free essay sample

Third world connotes a certain level of economic condition that somehow pushed and motivated some Filipinos to look alternative ways to economize in almost every aspect of life to survive. One of the biggest problems of our country is the fast spread of diseases such as dengue fever. Dengue fever is caused by mosquitoes. It is a common knowledge that mosquitoes came from wrigglers. It is an acute illness of sudden onset that usually follows a benign course with symptoms such as headache, fever, exhaustion, severe muscle and joint pain, swollen glands (lymphadenopathy), and rash. And so, to prevent these mosquitoes from multiplying rapidly, this research aims to discover practical and natural way of terminating these pests. Statement of the Problem This study will be conducted towards the effectiveness of lemongrass and pandan water extracts in reducing wriggler’s life span. Specifically, it was geared to: 1. Determine if lemongrass and pandan can be an effective tool in preventing the fast development of wrigglers. 2. Compare the life span of wrigglers in the treatments with lemongrass and pandan water extracts against the treatment with water only. 3. Compare the mortality rate of wriggler’s in the treatments with lemongrass and pandan water extracts against the treatment with water only. Hypotheses: 1. Lemongrass and pandan can be an effective tool in preventing the fast development of wrigglers. 2. The life span of wrigglers in the treatments with lemongrass and pandan water extracts is lesser against the treatment with water only. 3. One hundred percent of the wrigglers in the treatment with lemongrass and pandan water extracts will be dead. Significance of the Study It was stated earlier that one of the best ways in controlling pests is through the use of insecticides or pesticides. These pest-controlling products are mainly made up of chemicals. But, there is a serious effect in our environment when it comes to the improper use of these chemicals. It contributes to air pollution and is harmful to everyone’s health. It is, therefore, significant to use alternatives and practical ways to stop use of chemicals and learn to make use of them in such a way that our environment as well as our health will not be affected. Scope and Limitation The scope of this study is to use pandan and lemongrass as alternative control method for chemical insecticides in controlling the development of mosquito larvae in our environment and household. The experiment was conducted in San Pablo City National High School from November to December 2010. Definition of Terms Mortality rate- is a measure of the number of deaths in some population, scaled to the size of that population, per unit time Lemongrass is a commercially-viable plant that is cultivated mainly for the fragrance that it produces Pandan most predominantly used in the Southeast Asian cooking and is upright with fan shaped sprays like structure of leaves that are narrow and blade-like Life span is the expected number of years of life remaining at a given. Lemongrass is native to Malaysia, and is an important ingredient in Southeast Asian cooking. It is a tender perennial with a mild lemony fragrance and a lemon-citrus type taste. The stalks are too tough to eat, but they can be chopped and pounded to add flavor to fish or poultry sauces, and stir fry. It has long, thin, sharp grass-like gray-green leaves, and a scallion-like base. It grows to up to 6 feet under ideal conditions in the tropics, and to about 3 feet in more northerly climates, so use it as a mid to back of the border plant. It makes a nice contrasting backdrop for most any shorter annual or perennial flower or herb. It is native to India. It is widely used as an herb in Asian cuisine. It has a citrus flavor and can be dried and powdered, or used fresh. Lemongrass is commonly used in teas, soups, and curries. It is also suitable for poultry, fish, and seafood. Lemongrass oil is used as a pesticide and a preservative. Research shows that lemongrass oil has anti-fungal properties. Pandan (Pandanus amaryllifolius) Pandanus a. is a genus of monocots with about 600 known species. Plants vary in size from small shrubs less than 1  metre (3. 3 ft) tall, up to medium-sized trees 20  metres (66 ft) tall, typically with a broad canopy and moderate growth rate. The trunk is stout, wide-branching, and ringed with many leaf scars. They commonly have many thick prop roots near the base, which provide support as the tree grows top-heavy with leaves, fruit, and branches. The leaves are strap-shaped, varying between species from 30  centimetres (12 in) up to 2  metres (6. 6 ft) or more long, and from 1.   centimetres (0. 59 in) up to 10  centimetres (3. 9 in) broad. It is a tropical plant in the screwpine genus which is known commonly as pandan and is used widely in Southeast Asian cooking as a flavoring. The plant is rare in the wild but is widely cultivated. It is an upright green plant with fan-shaped sprays of long, narrow, bladelike leaves and woody aerial roots. The plant is sterile, flowers only very rarely, and is propagated by cuttings. The leaves are used either fresh or wilted, and are commercially available in frozen form in Asian grocery stores in nations where the plant does not grow. They have a nutty, botanical fragrance which enhances the flavor of Indonesian, Singaporean, Filipino, Malaysian, Thai, Bangladeshi, Vietnamese and Burmese foods, especially rice dishes and cakes. In the Philippines, pandan leaves are being cooked along with rice to incorporate the flavor and smell to it. As can be observed, the uses of the pandan are not limited to cooking uses. Its leaves and roots are found to have medicinal benefits. Such parts of the plant have been found to have essential oils, tannin, alkaloids and glycosides, which are the reasons for the effective treatment of various health concerns. It functions as a pain reliever, mostly for headaches and pain caused by arthritis, and even hangover. It can also be used as antiseptic and anti-bacterial, which makes it ideal for healing wounds. In the same manner, a preparation derived from the bark of this plant may be used to address skin problems. Many people have also discovered that it is an effective remedy for cough. In India, pandan leaves are being used to treat skin disorders like leprosy and smallpox. In Hawaii, pandan flowers are being chewed by mothers who later give the chewed flowers to their children, as laxative. The juice extracted from pounded roots of this tree is used and mixed with other ingredients to ease chest pains. Also, it is used as tonic for women who have just given birth and who are still in weak states. Pandan flowers have also been traced with characteristics that function as aphrodisiac. Pandan also manifests anti-cancer activities, and that is why modern researches in the United States have subjected this plant for further experiments and investigation (http://www. philippineherbalmedicine. org/pandan. htm). Mosquito (Aedes aegypti) Mosquito is a common insect in the family Culicidae. Mosquitoes resemble crane flies (family Tipulidae) and chironomid flies (family Chironomidae), with which they are sometimes confused by the casual observer. They go through four stages in their life-cycle: egg, larva, pupa, and adult or imago. Adult females lay their eggs in standing water, which can be a salt-marsh, a lake, a puddle, a natural reservoir on a plant, or an artificial water container such as a plastic bucket. The first three stages are aquatic and last 5–14 days, depending on the species and the ambient temperature; eggs hatch to become larvae, then pupae. The adult mosquito emerges from the pupa as it floats at the water surface. Adults live for 4–8 weeks. There are about 3,500 species of mosquitoes found throughout the world. In some species of mosquito, the females feed on humans, and are therefore vectors for a number of infectious diseases affecting millions of people per year. The yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti is a mosquito that can spread the dengue fever, Chikungunya and yellow fever viruses, and other diseases. The mosquito can be recognized by white markings on legs and a marking in the form of a lyre on the thorax. The mosquito originated in Africabut is now found in tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world. Aedes aegypti is a vector for transmitting yellow fever. Understanding how the mosquito detects its host is a crucial step in the spread of the disease. Aedes aegypti are attracted to chemical compounds that are emitted by mammals. These compounds include ammonia, carbon dioxide, lactic acid, and octenol. Scientists at the Agricultural Research Service have studied the specific chemical structure of ocentol in order to better understand why this chemical attracts the mosquito to its host. They found that the mosquito has a preference for â€Å"right-handed† octenol molecules. The term â€Å"right-handed† refers to the specific orientation of the molecule, which can either be â€Å"right-handed† or â€Å"left –handed. † This discovery helps scientists understand how the mosquito seeks out its host and may enable them to develop more effective forms of mosquito repellant.