Using dill oil to create a less toxic insecticide
April 22, 2010 by admin
The average Colorado potato beetle larva can chomp its way through 45 square centimeters of foliage in a day. In large numbers, the pest can wipe out entire crops of potatoes, tomatoes or eggplant. To make matters worse, the need for stronger and stronger insecticides to combat the beetle’s increasing resistance to chemical agents has become a worldwide environmental problem.
For 16-year-old Emma Graham – an environmentalist with a keen interest in botany – a problem combining contamination and plants presented an irresistible challenge. Her project – combining a plant extract with the pesticide to boost its effectiveness and lower its environmental impact – has earned her the right to represent Eastern Ontario in the national finals of this year’s Sanofi-Aventis Biotalent Challenge.
“One solution to the problem of resistance is to add another compound, called a synergist, to the commonly used insecticide (Imidacloprid),” explained Emma, a Grade 10 Student at Lisgar Collegiate Institute in Ottawa. “I wanted to find an environmentally friendly alternative to the most popular synergist (Piperonyl Butoxide), which is a potential carcinogen.”
Working with Prof. Tony Durst in his chemistry lab at the University of Ottawa, Emma extracted a natural insecticide from Indian dill oil, created two forms of a compound with the pesticide Imidacloprid and then tested the mixture on Colorado potato beetles. Her formula proved 95 percent effective against the pest — higher than the Imidacloprid alone – and, most importantly, less toxic.
“We need to explore every opportunity for reducing our impact on the environment,” said Emma, a member of the EcoMentors program that promotes environmental education and action among young people nationwide. “Pesticides are necessary but it’s important to make them less dangerous to human health and the environment.”
