TITLE DEFENSE

PHYSICAL SCIENCE

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Curcuma longa

(Turmeric) Extracts in Preventing Phytophthora
Palmivora (Coconut Bud Rot)

MEMBERS:
Dan Jenniel M. Cedeño
France Quia Belle Vilar
Pia Louise Ronquillo
 RESEARCH III - TITLE DEFENSE

“Evaluating the Effectiveness of Curcuma longa (Turmeric) Extracts

in Preventing Phytophthora Palmivora (Coconut Bud Rot)’’

A. Topic
As the heart of the coconut industry in the Philippines, Quezon Province faces the dire
consequences of coconut bud rot, which manifests as necrotic lesions on the apical meristem of
coconut palms, leading to stunted growth, reduced yields, and economic distress for farmers. The
economic losses associated with this disease in Lopez, Quezon, and the broader region are
substantial and pose a direct threat to the prosperity and livelihoods of countless residents. In the
face of this challenge, the need for effective and eco-friendly disease management strategies that
cater to the unique agricultural landscape of Lopez, Quezon, is paramount.
To address the concerns of the local coconut farming community, this research initiative takes
root in Lopez, Quezon, with the aim of evaluating the potential of turmeric extracts as a natural
and sustainable solution for preventing coconut bud rot.

Statement of the Problem:

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of turmeric extracts in preventing coconut
bud rot.
Specifically, its tries to answer the following:
1. Can the turmeric extract help in preventing the coconut bud rot?
2. Can the turmeric extract be effective in removing coconut bud rot?

Hypothesis
1. H0: The turmeric extract will help in preventing the coconut bud rot.
H1: The turmeric extract wouldn’t help in preventing the coconut bud rot.
2. H0: The turmeric extract will be effective in removing coconut bud rot.
H1: The turmeric extract wouldn’t be effective in removing coconut bud rot.

Objectives:
The general objective of this research is to have an organic fertilizer that can help the
farmers. To determine the antifungal properties of turmeric extracts against Phytophthora
Palmivora (Coconut bud rot) and to evaluate the impact of turmeric extract application on
coconut bud rot in a field setting. Specifically, this research is to know how long the turmeric
extract can affect the coconut bud rot.
Scopes and Limitations:
The study focuses on identifying the effect of turmeric extract to prevent the coconut bud
rot. The research presented offers promising insights into the potential use of turmeric extracts as a
sustainable strategy for preventing coconut bud rot, regarding the long-term ecological impact of
incorporating turmeric-based treatments into coconut agriculture. The turmeric extract is a dependent
variable, while the coconut bud rot is an independent variable. The experimentation of this study
will be conducted by extracting the turmeric using a steam distiller. The extract will be placed in
a natural environment.

B. Review of Related Literature and Studies

Bud rot is a fatal disease of the coconut palm, characterized by the rotting of the terminal
bud and the surrounding tissues. It affects the palms of all ages, but young palms are found to be
most vulnerable. The disease is caused by the fungus Phytophthora palmivora and the incidence
is found to be severe during monsoon when the relative humidity is high. With the onset of dry
weather, the infection becomes less severe and the fungus remains dormant in the leaf base
(Management of Bud Rot, 2019).
Phytophthora palmivora is one of the most destructive phytopathogens affecting many
economically important tropical crops such as coconut. P. palmivora causes diseases in over 200
host plants, and notably, the bud rot disease in coconut and oil palm, which is often lethal
because it is usually detected at advanced stages of infection. Limited availability of large-scale
omics datasets for P. palmivora is an important barrier for progress toward phytopathogen
diagnostics (Nekrakalaya et al., 2022).
Curcuma longa L. (Zingiberaceae family) and its polyphenolic compound curcumin have
been subjected to a variety of antimicrobial investigations due to extensive traditional uses and
low side effects. Antimicrobial activities for curcumin and rhizome extract of C. longa against
different bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites have been reported. The promising results for
antimicrobial activity of curcumin made it a good candidate to enhance the inhibitory effect of
existing antimicrobial agents through synergism (Moghadamtousi et al., 2014).

C. Research Methodology
This part of research is regarding the information, participants, materials, process and
anticipated results. The researchers plan to employ a qualitative study about the evaluating the
effectiveness of turmeric extracts in preventing coconut bud rot.

Research Design
The research conducted will adapt a qualitative approach for this we need to experiment
and observe the research study. The researchers wants to evaluate the effectiveness of turmeric in
preventing coconut bud rot. By doing this, we can make a sustainable turmeric spray to help the
farmers.

How are you going to collect the data?

The researchers will collect the data by planning to do a small test in a coconut bud
rot by putting in an extract. The researchers will be doing an experiment to gather some
information that the research question can answer. By doing that, we may also gather the
necessary data by using a direct observation to see how the turmeric affects the coconut bud rot.

Who/What are your respondents?

The study's respondents will be the farmers who utilize the turmeric extract to let us
know how effective the extract will be and to express their opinions. The farmers' opinion will be
added to the data analysis that can help us know about how effective the turmeric extract is.

What are the resources/materials and procedures that you will use to achieve the result?
To achieve the results that the researchers want, they will use turmeric as a main
ingredient that has antibacterial properties and can fight bacterial infections to coconut bud rot.
The researchers will use a steam distiller to get the extracts by steaming, pass through
condensation and will go through a tube to cool the extracts and when it's done, the extracts from
it will be used to spray for the bud rot.

Discussion of the expected outcomes

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how well turmeric extract treats coconut bud
rot, which will benefit most farmers. The experimentation of organic fertilizer is intended to
yield positive results for the researchers. Thus, the coconut bud rot will be eliminated by the
fertilizer.
D. Bibliography/Reference list

Deejayfarm, (2019). Management of bud rot. https://deejayfarm.com/blog/management-of-bud-rot-

disease-in-coconut-and-arecanut/

Nekrakalaya et al.,( 2022). Towards Phytopathogen Diagnostics? Coconut Bud Rot

Pathogen Phytophthora palmivora Mycelial Proteome Analysis Informs Genome
Annotation. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35353641/

Moghadamtousi et al., (2014). A Review on Antibacterial, Antiviral, and Antifungal Activity of

Curcumin. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4022204/