Ethnobotanical survey of insecticided plants in communities from Alta Floresta - MT

Abstract

Primitive peoples already used plants to aid them in their daily problems, and the relationships established by human beings with plant resources are studied by ethnobotany. Thus, the objective of this work was to investigate the knowledge and use of plants in the control of insect pests by family farmers in rural communities in Alta Floresta, MT. The research was carried out in the Central, Vila rural and Guadalupe communities, where 15 producers were selected in each community at random. More than 70% of the interviewees had already used or knew plants that have an insecticidal action; 22 species were registered, and the most cited were: Nicotiana tabacum L. (33%), Azadirachta indica A. Juss. (22%), Capsicum frutescens L. (11%) and Cymbopogon winterianus Jowit (8%). The insects mentioned in the interviews that can be controlled by bio-insecticidal plants belong to the orders: Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera and Siphonoptera. The present study confirmed the ethnobotanical knowledge of farmers, however there is need for further studies and dissemination to encourage the use of these natural products. It is possible to verify the need for research regarding endemic plants in the region, as there is a great wealth of species, however those used by producers are not native.