Application of Synthetic Sex Pheromones
Adaptability of the Technology
In general, insect sex pheromones are chemical substances secreted on the outside of the female insect body to attract the male insect for mating. They can be artificially mass produced, and used by growers to control pests. This technology is best suited to farmers who want to use insect sex pheromones as part of their integrated pest management program, so that they can reduce pesticide applications.
It can be used to survey or monitor populations of insects, to disrupt the mating behavior of insect, and to mass-trap the insect if the insect population density is low.
The Technology
- 1. Synthetic insect sex pheromones must be manufactured. In Taiwan, they are prepared and their bioactivity is assayed by the Taiwan Agricultural Chemicals and Toxic Substances Research In stitute (TACTRI) (Table 1).
- 2. Each dispenser loaded with sex pheromone(s) is attached to a specific trap (Fig. 1).
- 3. The number of males attracted to each trap is recorded every week (Table 2).
- 4. The dispenser is changed every month.
- 5. The density of insect pests in the crop is estimated as the basis for applying insecticides (Fig.2).
Merits of Using Insect Sex Pheromones
By using sex pheromones, farmers can predict the best time to apply insecticides. Thus, they can reduce the insecticide applications and production costs. Other benefits of using sex pheromones are listed in Table 3.
Index of Images
Figure 1 Dispenser Loaded with Sex Pheromone(S)
Figure 2 Use of Sex Pheromones to Monitor Populations of Insects in the Field. (June Is the Best Time to Apply Insecticides)
Table 1 Insect Sex Pheromones Formulated by Tactri
Table 2 Mass-Trapping of Male Tobacco Cutworm in Soybean Field (1998)*
Table 3 Benefits of Using Sex Pheromones Compared with Insecticides
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