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Review
. 2019 Sep 20;10(10):308.
doi: 10.3390/insects10100308.

Sex Pheromone Aerosol Devices for Mating Disruption: Challenges for a Brighter Future

Giovanni Benelli  1 , Andrea Lucchi  2 , Donald Thomson  3 , Claudio Ioriatti  4
Affiliations
Review

Sex Pheromone Aerosol Devices for Mating Disruption: Challenges for a Brighter Future

Giovanni Benelli et al. Insects. .

Abstract

Pheromone-mediated mating disruption (MD) represents an important tool to manage insect pests in agriculture and forestry. MD relies on the release of synthetic sex pheromones from dispensers in crops, interfering with mate finding and reproduction of a pest through both competitive and non-competitive mechanisms. MD programs primarily rely upon "passive" dispensers, used at high densities per hectare (200-3000 units∙ha-1). In addition to the labor required for their application, another disadvantage of "passive" dispensers is the continuous release of pheromones, regardless of the time of day or the pest flight activity. Aerosol delivery systems can overcome the drawbacks of passive dispensers as they are applied at far lower density (2-5 units∙ha-1) and they can be programmed to release pheromones at selected time intervals when the target pest is active. However, the mode of action of aerosol dispensers is still not well understood and there are concerns of whether they are as effective as passive dispensers. This review focuses on the history of aerosol dispensers, mode of action, and effectiveness on various crops; deployment strategies; and the movement of pheromone once released. Limitations of aerosols and challenges for future research and commercial use are discussed.

Keywords: beetle pests; insect sex pheromones; integrated pest management; mealybugs; moth pests; precision agriculture.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the University of Pisa (Pisa, Italy), E. Mach Foundation (San Michele all’Adige, Italy) and the Pacific Biocontrol Corporation (Vancouver, Canada).

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Examples of aerosol devices currently marketed (2018) for pheromone-mediated mating disruption of the codling moth, Cydia pomonella, in apple orchards, (a) CHECKMATE Puffer® CM (Suterra), (b) ISOMATE® CM MISTER (CBC Europe Srl-Italy) (photo credit: Claudio Ioriatti), (c) and in walnut orchards, ISOMATE® CM MIST WALNUT (photo credit: Tina Phelps). (d) Management of Aonidiella aurantii in orange groves relying to Semios CRS Plus (Semios Technologies Inc. Canada) (photo credit: Kelly Petersen).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Codlemone phytotoxicity on leaves of the apple trees located in front of the aerosol device.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Aerosol devices used for pheromone-mediated mating disruption of the European grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana, on grapevine: (a) Isonet® MISTER PRO L, (b) Isonet® MISTER releasing a puff of L. botrana pheromone in a Spanish vineyard, (c) CheckMate® Puffer® LB (Suterra) (photo credit: Andrea Lucchi).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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