231Use of Insect Pheromones
in Vegetable Pest Management:
Successes and Struggles
R. Srinivasan, M-Y Lin, F-C Su, Sopana Yule, Chuanpit
Khumsuwan, Thanh Hien, Vu Manh Hai, Le Duc Khanh
and K. R. M. Bhanu
A. K. Chakravarthy (ed.), New Horizons in Insect Science: Towards Sustainable Pest Management,
DOI 10.1007/978-81-322-2089-3_21, © Springer India 2015
R. Srinivasan () · M.-Y. Lin · F.-C. Su
AVRDC—The World Vegetable Center, Shanhua,
Tainan 74199, Taiwan
e-mail: [email protected]
S. Yule · C. Khumsuwan
AVRDC—The World Vegetable Center, East and
Southeast Asia, Research and Training Station, Kasetsart
University, Kamphaeng Saen, Nakhon Pathom 73140,
Thailand
T. Hien · Vu M. Hai · Le. D. Khanh
Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Thanh Tri,
Hanoi, Vietnam
K. R. M. Bhanu
Biocontrol Research Laboratories, Pest Control (India)
Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore, Karnataka 561203, India
Abstract
Insect pheromones can be used to monitor, mass-trap, and/or disrupt the
mating process of insect pests. Sex pheromones of major lepidopteran
pests such as tomato fruit worm ( Helicoverpa armigera) and common
armyworm ( Spodoptera litura) are widely used as monitoring lures
in tropical vegetable production systems. The use of sex pheromone traps
as a mass-trapping tool against polyphagous insects is limited. However,
such traps are highly effective in reducing the damage and yield losses
caused by monophagous insects such as eggplant fruit and shoot borer
( Leucinodes orbonalis), as demonstrated in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of
South Asia by AVRDC—The World Vegetable Center. By definition,
pheromones are species-specific, yet “cross-talks” were observed when
we attempted to refine sex pheromones for monitoring and mass-trap-
ping legume pod borer ( Maruca vitrata) and cucumber moth ( Diaphania
indica). In addition to sex pheromones, the possible use of aggregation
pheromone as a pest management tool has been attempted in striped flea
beetle ( Phyllotreta striolata) on vegetable brassicas. Recent research indi-
cated that pheromones act synergistically when combined with host plant
volatiles, a process validated against P. striolata at AVRDC.