Can we replace toxicants, achieve biosecurity, and generate market position with semiochemicals?

Abstract

Biosecurity covers both long-term management of existing pests and the urgent government responses to alien invasive species which have yet to become fully established. Mating disruption, mass trapping and lure and kill systems all have potential to be used in pest management and against new incursions of certain types of organisms, predominantly moths, and beetles. Straight chained lepidopteran sex pheromones have emerged as a source of potential market advantage in pest management, with trapping systems and residue-free multiple species disruption systems being increasingly adopted to reduce insecticide use and meet private standards. Semiochemicals can also offer new surveillance tools in pre-border biosecurity, greatly improving the chances for successful eradication of alien invasive species. However, a rising frequency of incursions of alien invasive species and consequent rise in official eradication programs due to globalization points strongly to the need for further investment in the areas of discovery and development of surveillance and eradication technologies, from a sound knowledge of chemical ecology.

Evolution of the biocontrol active substances in the framework of the European Pesticide Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009

“…SC have increased by 25% since 2011. SC also have advantages in comparison with classic pesticides: producers have less need to use broad‐spectrum or persistent insecticides, and the possible residues on the harvest are reduced . SC are also usually species specific, which means they do not harm natural predators.…”

“…Some SC are also not so easy to produce synthetically although new production methods are managed . Moreover, BCA substances can be too expensive for farmers, and may require specific skills to be used correctly …”

Global range expansion of pest Lepidoptera requires socially acceptable solutions

“…The use of sex pheromones remains an ideal tactic for the management of invasive Lepidoptera, more than for any other group of insects, as there are so many leads already developed in the pest management literature, and the same targets are often invasive (Suckling 2015). Mass trapping and lure and kill options rely on a supply of the attractant , which is more likely for known pests than novel invasives.…”

“…Mating disruption can be effective where the technology has been developed, but is comparatively expensive, labor intensive, has issues with edge effects/topography in relation to efficacy, and is most widely adopted in horticulture in developed countries (Witzgall et al 2010). However, mating disruption has been used in eradication programs against five species/subspecies of Lepidoptera (Lance et al 2016;Suckling 2015). There are emerging versatile semiochemical technologies with formulations for aerial or ground application, enabling rapid development in future (Brockerhoff et al 2012;Lance et al 2016;Mafra-Neto et al 2014).…”

Thigmotaxis Mediates Trail Odour Disruption

“…The use of the trail pheromone ( Z )-9-hexadecenal for Argentine ant management has recently been examined as an environmentally benign control method for this species 22–27 . Pheromone-based pest management offers the advantages of low-hazard and high target specificity, avoiding many unwanted off-target effects 28 . The use of trail pheromone disruption for the Argentine ant as a new control method is based on the successful moth mating disruption paradigm already in use 29, 30 , and by coincidence of chemistry also involves a straight chain lepidopteran sex pheromone that is available commercially.…”