What is it about?
Pests theaten our food and fibre production, and globalisation is leading to more pests everywhere. Can we use pheromones and other semiochemicals to keep up, without reliance on insecticides ?
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Why is it important?
I've compared pest lists at family level from pest management sources (www.pherobase.com) with an eradication database from governments (http://b3.net.nz/gerda/index.php) - and there are certain pest groups in both. Pheromones have a lot to offer against these invasive pests.
Perspectives
This is about recognising that globalisation is spreading pests for ever, once spread. Is the only alternative an insecticide? No - but more knowledge intensive systems like pheromones need more international investment.
Professor David Maxwell Suckling
University of Auckland
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Can we replace toxicants, achieve biosecurity, and generate market position with semiochemicals?, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, March 2015, Frontiers,
DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2015.00017.
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