Methodology

Field techniques:

1.  Direct participation and observation: especially for agricultural procedures, animal care and house keeping (interaction with
     the community for about eight months).
2.  Field interviews: informal "walking in the field" conversations.
3.  Structured interviews will be completed for each informant.
4.  Probing: to confirm reliability on a particular subject, within and between informants.

Lab procedures


 

The chemical analysis will be focused on the plants with reports as pesticides. Bulk samples for 20 plants with this characteristic were collected and methanol extracts prepared at the University of Cajamarca in Cajamarca Peru.   Lethality will be tested at Lehman College phytochemistry facilities, by means of a specific bioassay for pesticides: the yellow fever mosquito larvae test (following McLaughlin's protocol) (McLaughlin's 1985).  This procedure will test the effectiveness claimed by the informants, and it will provide statistical data to identify the species most promising as pesticides.  Finally, methanolic extracts of species with positive test results will be used for elucidation of active compounds, if not previously reported on the scientific literature.  Particular chemical procedures towards the latest will depend on the characteristic identified for the promising material.
 

Note:  All permits required by the Peruvian government to carry the research, collect the specimens and export such material were seek and issued.  The project was also reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of Research Protocol at Lehman College and by The Graduate Center's Committee on the Protection of Human Subjects.

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