THE POTENCY USE OF FERMENTED NAMI (Dioscorea hispida dennst)

AS AN ALTERNATIVE PESTICIDES
AGAINST TERMITES

SALIGUMBA, MA LEA JUDITH V.

VILLORIA, KAYCEE T.

SAGARANG, KIM S.

8- SUNFLOWER

OBJECTIVES

1 Determine the effect of fermented nami in termites.

Subterranea termites occur commonly in tropical soils especially in the rain forest where

they play an important part in recycling wood debris and decaying plant materials. These

termites also play an important role in soil ecology (Lee & Wood 1971). Unfortunately,

termites become economic pests when their appetite for wood extends to human homes and

timber structures. No data total financial losses due to termite attack in the Philippines is

available, but an estimate of the monetary value due to destruction to human property and

agricultural or forestry crops is about 8-10 million dollars annually (Yudin 2002). They

attack wood buried in or in direct contact with the ground. The most serious structural pests

under this group is coptotermes vastator (also called the Philippine mik termite). C. vastator

is believed to be indigenous to the Philippines (Light 1921) and considered the most

destructive subterranean termite in the country (Garcia 1967, Valino 1967, Acda 2003). It is

widely distributed in all the provinces and islands of the archipelago and responsible for over

90% of termite damage made to timber and wooden structures in Metro Manila and other

urban areas. C. vastator has also been accidentally introduced to Hawaii in 1918 during a

shipment of banana stumps from Manila (Ehrhorn 1934, Gay 1964). To date, it is already

established and causing major problems in the islands of Hawaii, Guam and Saipan

(Woodrow et al. 2001, Yudin 2002).

Pesticides have now become an integral part of our modern life and are used to protect

agricultural land, stored grain, flower gardens as well as to eradicate the pests transmitting

dangerous infectious diseases. It has been estimated that globally nearly $38 billion are spent

on pesticides each year (Pan-Germany, 2012). Manufacturers and researchers are designing
new formulations of pesticides to meet the global demand. Ideally, the applied pesticides

should only be toxic to the target organisms, should be biodegradable and eco-friendly to

some extent (Rosell et al., 2008). Unfortunately, this is rarely the case as most of the

pesticides are non-specific and may kill the organisms that are harmless or useful to the

ecosystem. In general, it has been estimated that only about 0.1% of the pesticides reach the

target organisms and the remaining bulk contaminates the surrounding environment

(Carriger et al., 2006). The repeated use of persistent and non-biodegradable pesticides has

polluted various components of water, air and soil ecosystem. Pesticides have also entered

into the food chain and have bio accumulated in the higher tropic level. More recently,

several human acute and chronic illnesses have been associated with pesticides exposure

(Mostafalou and Abdollahi, 2012).

The word “Yam” is applied to members of the genus Dioscorea belonging to the

family Dioscoreaceae in the order Dioscoreales (Alexander and Coursey, 1969). Wild

species are either annuals or semi-perennials or perennials. Cultivated species are annuals.

Generally, the female plants are less in number than the male plants. Most Dioscorea species

have simple, cordate, or acuminate leaves borne on long petiole, but in some species, they

are lobed or palmate with pointed tips. They are climbers and climb by twining. The

direction of twining of the vine (i.e., anti-clock wise or clock wise) is a characteristic

peculiar to the particular sections within the genus Dioscorea. The wings present in some

species, such as D. alata L. (Figure 2.9), support the twining habit. The flowers are basically

dioecious, with male and female flowers borne separately or on separate plants. The male or

female flowers are borne on axillary spikes in the leaf axils. The male flowers are sessile,

glabrous, and spherical and are borne axially or terminally. These flowers consist of calyx of
three sepals and corolla of three petals, arranged regularly and almost similar in size and

appearance, with three or six stamens (Onwueme, 1978). Fruits are mostly capsules. The seed in

each capsule is small and has wings that vary in shape in different species (Onwueme, 1978). The seeds are

flat and light, and the wings help in wind dispersion. Some species, such as D. alata L., D. bulbifera L., D.

pentaphylla L., D. pubera Blume, have bulbils in the axils. Bulbils are specifically adapted for vegetative

propagation (Coursey, 1967). They are very smaller than the underground tubers. Short day length generally

accelerates formation of bulbils. Dioscorea possess shallow fibrous root systems, normally un-branched and

concentrated within the top layer of the soil, and very few actually penetrate up to 1 m depth (Onwueme,

1978). The tuber is the storage organ, which forms a new tuber and shrivels away simultaneously when the

re-growth is induced. When the organ lacks the typical characteristics of a modified stem structure, the tuber

has no preformed buds or terminal bud at the distal end (Hahn et al., 1987).

Many studies have also shown the anti-oxidant potentials of these tuber

crops. Araghiniknam et al. (1996) observed the antioxidant activity

of Dioscorea species. Hou et al. (2001) documented the antioxidant activity of dioscorin of

yam (D. batatas Decne.) tubers. Hou et al. (2002) also reported the antioxidant activity of

yam (D. batatas Decne.) tuber mucilage. In the year 2004, Dong et al. (2004) testified

steroidal saponins from D. panthaica Prain & Burkill and their cytotoxic activity from an

ethanol extract of the rhizomes of D. panthaica Prain & Burkill and in the same year, Yu et

al. (2004) have also stated the anticancer effects of various fractions extracted from D.

bulbifera L. on mice bearing HepA. Further, Chang et al. (2004) have described that Chinese

yam (D. alata L.) had antioxidative effects in hyperhomocysteinemia rats. Similarly, Liu et

al. (2006) documented the antioxidant activities of selected Dioscorea species using DPPH

radical, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity assay, and anti-lipid peroxidation test. The

tuber and other parts of Dioscorea species possess different types of bioactive compounds

(Table 4, Figure 3) so that its parts are used against different diseases. These bioactive
compounds also reflect the indigenous therapeutic values among the many races of

aboriginals of the world (Nayaboga et al., 2014). All these factors make them sound

pharmacological agents and good sources for isolation and formulation of new compounds

that can fight against different types of diseases. The most important component reported

by Martin (1969) was diosgenin, a sapogenin used in the synthesis of steroidal drugs.

Diosgenin is the primary active ingredient in Dioscorea species. It is structurally similar to

cholesterol. After oral administration, it is metabolized in the liver and eliminated via the

bile (Caven and Dvornik, 1979). Estrogenic and anti-inflammatory effects of diosgenin have

been hypothesized due to its structural similarity to estrogen precursors. Asha and Nair

(2005) reported that D. deltoidea Wall. ex Griseb. is the major species exploited in India for

diosgenin (Figure 4) production from rhizomes.