Pest control pheromone semiochemicals

OECD (2001). Guidance for Registration Requirements for Pheromones and Other Semiochemicals Used for Arthropod Pest Control, ENV/JM/MONO(2001)12, Environment Directorate, OECD, Paris, France. 

Remarkable progress in chemical ecology, especially in pheromone science [284], has made it possible to employ some pheromones in practical pest control. Synthesis of semiochemicals or ecologically... 

Guidance for Registration Requirements for Pheromones and Other Semiochemicals Used for Arthropod Pest Control (2002). 

Lit. ACS Symp. Ser. 658, Phytochemicals for Pest Control (1997) Agosta, Bombardier Beetles and Fever Trees, New York Addison-Wesley 1995 Chem. Ind. (London) 1994, 370ff. Eur. J. Org. Chem. 1998, 1479 (review) Norland, Jones, Lewis, Semiochemicals, their Role in Pest Control, New York Wiley 1981 Rice, Pest Control with Nature s Chemicals Allelochemicals and Pheromones in Gardening and Agriculture, Norman Univ. Oklahoma Press 1983. 

The use of single semiochemicals in the field is not usually sufficient for pest control, but by combining semi-ocheinicals, substantial protection can be achieved using an integrated approach called the push-pull system. The push is located in the crop and may comprise antifeedants, nonhost semiochemicals, attraction of predators or parasitoids, oviposition deterrents, or epideictic pheromones. The pull component comprises lures or trap areas away from the crop containing the sex pheromone, host odors, oviposition... 

Prokopy, R. J. (1981a) Epideictic pheromones that influence spacing patterns of phytophagous insects. In Semiochemicals Their Role in Pest Control (Nordlund, D. A., Jones, R. L. and Lewis, W. J., eds) pp. 181-213. Wiley Press, New York. 

Steps in accomplishing the goal of utilizing pheromone semiochemicals from insects to control pests and invasive weeds include 1) establishing laboratory cultures of the insect species having economic impact on agriculture... 

Behavioral Chemicals — Semiochemicals. Semiochemicals are chemicals emitted by plants or animals that modify the behavior of receptor organisms of the same or different species. This definition includes pheromones, allomones, and kairomones. The sex-attractant pheromones are emitted by the female to attract the male for mating purposes and they have been used in pest control in the following ways (11) ... 

Spiders are an important order of carnivorous arachnids having a great impact on many ecosystems. Because most of their prey consists of insects, they can play an important role in controlling pest insects in agricultural crops. There are currently about 36000 described species, out of an estimated overall number of 60000-80000 species (Platnick, 1999). Unlike the situation with insects (Francke and Schulz, 1999), pheromones and other semiochemicals of arachnids, and especially spiders, have received little attention from researchers. What information is available on the use of semiochemicals by spiders will be reviewed and discussed in this chapter. 

Tony Hooper (Rothamsted Research, UK) discussed local applications of push-pull insect-control strategies with plant-derived semiochemicals and pheromones in the control of crop pests. For example a sudan grass trap crop reduced the number of stem borers on maize grown in adjacent plots. Five thousand African farmers have already been involved in a practical test of the methodology which exploits plant diversity in a very creative way. It was an excellent example of an understanding of chemistry and biotechnology being put to practical use in a local context. 

Control of insect pests and invasive weeds has become very sophisticated. Knowledge of the interaction between insects and host plants is critical to development of effective control strategies diat are friendly to the environment. We must also understand how insects communicate with each other. What are the semiochemicals (signal substances such as sex pheromones) and how do they function Research efforts in this fast-growing field involve organic chemists, analytical chemists, entomologists, biochemists, microbiologists, formulation experts, and statisticians. 

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