Pesticidal and Medicinal Value of Turmeric and Ginger in Tanzania and Their Antifungal Activity against Phytopathogens
| dc.contributor.author | Lengai, Geraldin | |
| dc.contributor.author | Mbega, Ernest | |
| dc.contributor.author | Muthomi, James | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-09-29T07:20:34Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-02 | |
| dc.description | SDG - 2: Zero Hunger SDG - 3: Good Health and Well-being SDG - 12: Responsible Consumption and Production | |
| dc.description.abstract | Use of synthetic pesticides to manage crop pests has had a toll on human health, environmental safety and farmer’s income creating a need for alterna- tive crop protection strategies. Botanical pesticides have been reported to be effective in managing crop pests, and a number of them have been formulated and commercialized. This study was conducted in North-Eastern Tanzania to establish the pesticidal and medicinal value of turmeric ( Curcuma longa) and ginger ( Zingiber officinale). Purposive sampling was adopted to select and in- terview 167 respondents drawn from farmers, traders, pharmaceutical shops, agro-shop operators and consumers of turmeric and ginger. Ginger and tur- meric rhizomes were also collected for extraction, antifungal assay and bio- chemical analysis. Results showed that majority of the respondents were aware of the medicinal value of ginger and turmeric, with 59.5% having used the plants to treat respiratory related infections and healing skin surface and in- ternal wounds. About 14% of farmers were aware of and had used aqueous botanical preparations from neem, moringa and Tephrosia to manage insect pests. Only 2.7% of farmers had used ginger powder as a protective insecticide on stored grains. Ginger and turmeric rhizome extracts showed high antifun- gal activity against Pythium (83% - 95%), Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycoper- sici (34% - 52%) and Alternaria solani (38% - 53%). A GC-MS analysis of gin- ger and turmeric extracts showed presence of α-zingiberene, β-sesquiphellan- drene, α-farnesene, ar-curcumene, α-copaene, ar-tumerone and curlone. This study recommends that ginger and turmeric extracts be considered for devel- opment of a botanical pesticide and especially for management of damping off diseases. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://doi.org/10.4236/jbm.2025.132022 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://dspace.nm-aist.ac.tz/handle/123456789/3345 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Scientific research an academic publisher | |
| dc.subject | Botanical Pesticides | |
| dc.subject | Curcuma longa | |
| dc.subject | Medicinal Plants | |
| dc.subject | Spices | |
| dc.subject | Zingiber officinale | |
| dc.title | Pesticidal and Medicinal Value of Turmeric and Ginger in Tanzania and Their Antifungal Activity against Phytopathogens | |
| dc.type | Article |