Mating disruption: An ecological step towards sustainable pest management Mevada R.R.1,*, Sisodiya D.B.2, Parmarand R.G.1, Prajapati D.R.1 1Department of Plant Pathology, B. A. College of Agriculture, Anand Agricultural University, Anand - 388 110, Gujarat, India 2Department of Agricultural Entomology, B. A. College of Agriculture, Anand Agricultural University, Anand - 388 110, Gujarat, India *Corresponding author E-mail: ravinarmevada@gmail.com
Online published on 27 December, 2023. Abstract The current method of semiochemical-based pest management that tries to diminish the reproductive success of the targeted insect pest is mating disruption. The overabundance of synthetic sex pheromones in the field confuses males, who are unable to locate its counterpart for mating, resulting in the collapse of insect-pest populations without the usage of pesticides. As mating disruption tools, several microencapsulated dispensers, manually applied dispensers (pheromone traps, PB rope, SPLAT) and high-emission dispensers are now available in the market. This approach has the potential to offer significant value to the long-term ecological pest management of several commercially significant insect pests, such as the rice yellow stem borer, Indian meal moth, American bollworm, shoot and fruit borer, fruit fly and pink bollworm, among others. This method not only decreases pesticide use but also aids in the preservation of insect pests’ natural enemies. Consequently, this innovative technology may assist to address the gaps in current IPM programmes for sustainable pest management. Top Keywords Mating disruption, Behavioural control, Semiochemicals, Sex pheromones, PB Rope L, SPLAT. Top |