Designing, constructing, and testing of solar-powered rice pest light trap at Abilay Norte, Oton, Iloilo

Abstract

Iloilo has an abundance of production of rice each year. It ranked third in rice output in 2011 with 959,270 metric tons in Western Visayas (Bureau of Agricultural Statistics). In prior years of engaging in this type of agricultural activity, farmers frequently experienced pest problems. The development of a solar-powered rice pest light trap can aid in the elimination of these pests. This study aims to design, construct and test a solar-powered rice pests light trap at Abilay Norte, Oton, Iloilo. Two systems were designed: the passive and active systems. A 25 Wp solar panel and 26 Ah battery were used to provide enough power for a 6 Watt UV LED for passive and a 6-Watt UV Electric Mosquito Killer Light for active. A photoresistor sensor was used to control the lighting fixtures automatically. The results showed that the passive system has more trapped rice pests than the active system and the overall efficiency of utilizing solar-powered light trap was 59.62%. The trapped pests were similar to the pests counted during the quadrant method. Overall, the device designed, constructed, and tested was effective in trapping rice insect pests in the field. It can help farmers to manage insect pests on their crops and lessen the use of pesticides that are not healthy and can contaminate crops, soil, and water, which may eventually cause health problems for consumers.