The liquid is corrosive and toxic and has insecticidal properties, which I was able to demonstrate in my research on its application on insects.
Cashew is a plantation crop that gained popularity within our farming community which planted them as boundary crops and windbreakers. However, in the 1980s the Ministries of Agriculture and Forests promoted cashew trees to be primarily used in reforestation and soil protection and as a potential source of income for farmers. With an annual production of about 9,000 tons of cashew and an assumed yield of 450 kg per ha, it is estimated that around 20,000 ha of cashew is cultivated in The Gambia Lift Cashew USDA; Dhruv Dalmia,Linked In (2019)This land area is a drop in the ocean considering we have total arable land of 558,000 hectaresout of which only around 320,000hectares (57%)are being put under cultivation [GNAIP 2011-15].
The purpose of this article is to raise awareness on the utilization of CNSL among the farming community. In my study, I observed that LD50 values (lethal dose of the test compound that will kill 50% of the population on which it is assessed) on which CNSL was administered, were good enough to be part of an insect pest control strategy both in gardens and on farmers' farms.
A laboratory chemical analysis of the liquid identified eighteen compounds that have bioactive action with a number of them having insecticidal properties. These findings have triggered my interest in sharing my work with the wider farming community. This interest is further compounded by the increased incidence of resistance to some of the current synthetic insecticides in use and the attendant environmental pollution that goes with it. Plant-derived insecticides are known to cause less negative impact on the environment and humans.
CNSL can be part of an insect pest management strategy for farmers of this country by training them how to prepareformulations, using a variety of readily available extracting solvents. CNSL could be a double-pronged product that farmers can use on their farms and gardens and at the same time sell part of their products to other farmers thus generating an income for the family. To take it to a higher level, the commercialization of CNSL production by investors, hence could be a source of revenue for investors.
Guest EDITORIAL