Booth Id:
PLNT025T
Category:
Plant Sciences
Year:
2017
Finalist Names:
Al Shloul, Farah (School: Caddo Parish Magnet High School)
Mughrabi, Lana (School: Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School)
Abstract:
This project on its present form is the result of several experimentations on the effect of the peppermint oil on the white fly . The initial idea was to determine the damage of the white fly and the chemical pesticides that are used to combat this pest , the result led us to work on a study to find out an environmentally friendly alternative to those chemical pesticides ; in order to conserve the plants and the environment in general from being damaged .
The peppermint oil was diluted in water in four concentrations , its worthy to mention that all the experimentations were held under certain conditions:
Temperature: 23C.
Lightning: 16 at day , 8 at night.
Humidity: 60-80%.
According to the experimentation the most effective communication was ( 0.1 ml peppermint oil / 9 ml water ) by eliminating 97% of the white flies.
However, the white fly ceasing procedures begin during the last two stages of its life cycle , here the role of the biological control of the beneficial insects starts , and we have used the pirate bugs; for the experimentation which has shown that the peppermint oil doesn't affect the pirate bugs .
Another experimentation was held under the same conditions aimed to determine the losses of the white fly’s eggs that can be caused by the pirate bugs , each 15 pirate bugs could eliminate 180 of the eggs.
Finally, our economic study supports the idea of using the peppermint oil to combat the white fly instead of the chemical pesticides.