Insect Pheromone: A tool in agricultural pest management
Sahita Karmakar1, Rohit Chakraborty2 and Waliza Ansar3*
1&2M.Sc, Department of Environmental Science, Asutosh College, 92, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Rd, Kolkata-700026 (India) Corresponding Email*: sahitakarmakar@gmail.com . Phone: 918420707101 2Email: rohitchakraborty893@gmail.com. Phone: 919163348492 3Department of Zoology, Behala College, 32 Upen Banerjee Road, Parnasree, Behala, Kolkata-700060 (India) Email: waliza_ansar@yahoo.co.inPhone: 9830837532 *Corresponding author: waliza_ansar@yahoo.co.in
ABSTRACT
Pests in diverse phases of its lifecycle pose threat to the modern agricultural structure as they destroy crops and food products. To defend crops from pest invasion, to increase food productivity, modern agricultural practices and market available pesticides are used which are highly toxic and environmentally untenable. Broad-spectrum pesticides, apart from damaging target pest, also kill beneficial non-target organisms of different trophic levels. Residual toxicity in different spheres alters the survival of biome-specific macro- and meso-fauna provoking diminution of nutrient mobilization through mineralization processes. The insect pheromones create the network of courtship, mating, and egg-laying and complex social behaviour in their world. The employ of insect species-specific sex pheromones is an alternate biotechnology for integrated pest management in disparity to commercial insecticides, having retrogressive effects on human health and environment and is skilful also against insecticide-resistant insect populations. Pheromones are proficient on low population densities of pest. They do not affect natural non-target organisms and therefore, bring about long-lasting minimization in pest populations below economic injury level which cannot be accomplished with traditional insecticides. Mass trapping and Mating Disruption methods using sex pheromones have significantly attenuated insecticide-related environmental deterioration, thus providing sustainable, eco-friendly bio-tools. The increasing funding on pheromone management and research blooms manifold to encompass negligible environmental effect and thriving effectiveness in pest control. Study of behaviour of pheromone-releasing insects, their life cycles along with biotechnological employment of analytical chemistry, genetics, chemical ecology, neurophysiology, molecular and evolutionary biology has helped us to grasp better the pheromone sensation mechanisms and their implications in agricultural pest management.