Ethnobotanical investigation of some insecticidal plants used on cereals grown in the Labe Region

The aim of this work was to identify and investigate insecticidal plants used by communities in the Labé administrative region to protect against insect pests. The aim was to obtain alternative products, based on natural resources, to limit the damage caused by commonly used chemical products. This ethnobotanical cross-sectional study was carried out in the five prefectures of the Labé region, between April and May 2023, in order to identify the plants with insecticidal properties used by communities in this region. The methodology consisted of direct, semi-structured interviews based on a survey form. At the end of the survey, we contacted 200 informants, including 50 women. This enabled us to identify thirty-five (35) plants belonging to twenty-one (21) families. 25% of these informants were in the 40-45 age bracket, followed by 20% in the 55-65 age bracket. These results show that people in the Labé region have traditional knowledge and know-how about plants with insecticidal properties. The inheritance mode of knowledge (75%) and the apprenticeship mode of knowledge (42%) would justify this judgement. The identification, phytochemical analysis and verification of the toxicity of other plants from the region concerned will be the subject of future studies.