The Philippines is primarily an agricultural country, with the majority of Filipinos

residing in rural areas dependent on agricultural activities for a living. According to Masa

(2023), we can determine that in the Philippines, a particular variety of okra is widely

cultivated as a warm-season vegetable crop. Ilocos Norte, Pangasinan, and Bicol are

the main producing regions of the crop, with about 8,000 hectares planted worldwide.

Contrary to popular opinion, okra is a fruit rather than a vegetable as many people

believe. Its little, white seeds are concealed by its long, slender shape. Warm, humid

areas are optimal for okra cultivation. Although we also refer to it as "lady's fingers" or

"bhindi" in other locations, its scientific name is Abelmoschus esculentus Paras (2023).

Okra is typically ready for harvest approximately 60 to 70 days after planting

when the pods reach a length of 2 to 3 inches. The average lifespan of an okra plant is

around (120-150 days) 4 to 5 months. It is crucial to pick them at this stage as the pods

are still tender. If the okra pods grow larger, they tend to become tough and fibrous. By

planting such crops, farmers' biggest threat would be pests.

Pests damage farmers’ crops. A pest is any organism that is damaging to

humans or human interests. The word is most commonly applied to insects that cause

damage to cattle, forestry, and most especially crops. Various kinds of insects can be

found in okra plants however not all of them are hazardous. Silver leaf whitefly,

cutworms (Heliothis amigera), rough bollworms -- major pests of okra, looper

caterpillars, and green vegetable bugs are the insects that be found in okra plants, but

growers can avoid this by monitoring their crops frequently and applying insecticides to

the plants.
 Farmers that are suffering from pests frequently buy pest-killing or repelling

solutions. Insecticides are chemicals used to control insects by killing them or

preventing them from engaging in undesirable or destructive behaviors US EPA, ORD

(2015).

According to the research (Srivastava et al., 2021), “To control these pests in

okra as well as other vegetable crops different insecticides (organophosphate, synthetic

pyrethroid and neonicotinoid groups) and fungicides (benzimidazole and triazole

groups) are applied”. Insecticides are chemicals that can be bad for the environment,

they can kill beneficial insects, cause harm to humans and animals, are expensive to

use, and are poor at controlling pests. The researchers, therefore, want to investigate

ways to create insecticides that are both natural and inexpensive.