Journal Article

Sex Pheromones and Their Impact on Pest Management

Witzgall, Peter, Kirsch, Philipp, Cork, Alan

2010

Overview

The idea of using species-specific behavior-modifying chemicals for the management of noxious insects in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, stored products, and for insect vectors of diseases has been a driving ambition through five decades of pheromone research. Hundreds of pheromones and other semiochemicals have been discovered that are used to monitor the presence and abundance of insects and to protect plants and animals against insects. The estimated annual production of lures for monitoring and mass trapping is on the order of tens of millions, covering at least 10 million hectares. Insect populations are controlled by air permeation and attract-and-kill techniques on at least 1 million hectares. Here, we review the most important and widespread practical applications. Pheromones are increasingly efficient at low population densities, they do not adversely affect natural enemies, and they can, therefore, bring about a long-term reduction in insect populations that cannot be accomplished with conventional insecticides. A changing climate with higher growing season temperatures and altered rainfall patterns makes control of native and invasive insects an increasingly urgent challenge. Intensified insecticide use will not provide a solution, but pheromones and other semiochemicals instead can be implemented for sustainable area-wide management and will thus improve food security for a growing population. Given the scale of the challenges we face to mitigate the impacts of climate change, the time is right to intensify goal-oriented interdisciplinary research on semiochemicals, involving chemists, entomologists, and plant protection experts, in order to provide the urgently needed, and cost-effective technical solutions for sustainable insect management worldwide.

• Publisher: New York : Springer-Verlag,Springer-Verlag,Springer,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Agricultural Science / Agriculture / Animal and plant ecology / Animal populations / Animal, plant and microbial ecology / Animals / attracticides / Biochemistry / Biological and medical sciences / Biological Microscopy / Biomedical and Life Sciences / Climate change / Ecology / Entomology / Environmental impact / Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use / Food Safety / Food Safety - methods / Food Science / Food security / Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology / General aspects / Growing season / Horticulture / insect attractants / Insect Control / Insect Control - methods / insect pests / Insecta / Insecta - metabolism / Insecticides / Insects / integrated pest management / Interdisciplinary research / Invasive insects / Invasive species / Invertebrates / Jordbruksvetenskap / Life Sciences / literature reviews / Livsmedelsvetenskap / mass trapping / mating disruption / metabolism / methods / Miljö- och naturvårdsvetenskap / Pest control / Pest Control, Biological / Pest Control, Biological - methods / pest management / pest monitoring / pheromone traps / Pheromones / Plant protection / Population density / Review Article / sex attractants / Sex Attractants - metabolism / sex pheromones / trapping / Trädgårdsvetenskap/hortikultur