Integrating land use plans in malaria control with mosquito repellent plants in homesteads in Tanzania
1 Institute of Traditional Medicine Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences P.O.Box 65001 Dar es Salaam Tanzania.
2 Department of Botany, College of Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Dar es Salaam. P.O,Box 35065 Dar es Salaam
Research Article
International Journal of Frontiers in Biology and Pharmacy Research, 2022, 02(01), 025–034.
Article DOI: 10.53294/ijfbpr.2022.2.1.0056
Publication history:
Received on 01 December 2021; revised on 08 January 2022; accepted on 10 January 2022
Abstract:
Apart from the conventional malaria control schemes over the decades, there is gradual growing interest in multipurpose plant species with repellence activity against mosquitoes and other nuisance organisms in the homesteads. Ethnobotanical study in selected districts in Tanzania employed statistical Use Value (UV) model to rank and recommend priority repellent plants used by local communities. The five top ranking repellent plant species according to UV analysis were Ocimum basilicum, Hyptis suaveolense, Azadirachta indica, Cocos nucifera and and Schinus mole. Qualitative assessment of repellence activity for selected plants was performed in different forms such as smoking, infusion and natural scent to validate repellence activity. Basic soil parameters viz. Ca, Mg, Na, P, N, organic matter, cation exchange capacity and pH from the plants habitats were determined to facilitate transplanting of recommended plants in new environments. Community perception on planting non-traditional crops on the home yards was assessed to aid in developing plans for integrating repellent plants among other land use priorities on the homesteads. The envisaged long term impact is creation of microclimate complex at rural homesteads simultaneously capable of providing diverse domestic needed plant products while controlling mosquitoes and other non-friendly organisms from the homesteads.
Keywords:
Land use plan; Mosquitoes; Repellent plants; Malaria control; Tanzania
Full text article in PDF:
Copyright information:
Copyright © 2022 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0