Utilização de folhas de Piper aduncum L. (Piperaceae) como biopesticida em horta no município de São Gabriel da Cachoeira - AM

Abstract

The municipality of São Gabriel da Cachoeira-AM is expanding and with that, the local family agriculture also grows in the production of vegetable gardens, which in addition to supplying the municipality with vegetables, which are difficult to access for the population due to the great distance from the metropolises and the overvaluation , generates jobs and boosts the local economy. But to maintain this production and their income, small farmers end up using chemical pesticides in their gardens, causing possible contamination of the environment since the indiscriminate use of these products can also put the health of the population at risk. This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of the biopesticide produced from the alcoholic extract of Piper aduncum L. (Piperaceae), popularly known as pepper-de-monkey, very present in the region, as an alternative for the control of pests that infest the plants. vegetable gardens of small farmers in the municipality. For this, leaves of this vegetable were collected, cleaned, dried, crushed and subjected to extraction with 70% alcohol and diluted in water. The extract obtained was applied to the plantations for a period of 18 weeks. As a result, during the period of application of the extract, in general, a reduction in the population of pests in the cultivation areas, proving the potential of the alcoholic extract of Piper aduncum leaves as a biopesticide. Keywords: Family farming, biopesticide and Piper aduncum L. (Piperaceae)