NEW DIRECTIONS IN SEMIOCHEMICAL RESEARCH

The use of semiochemicals to interfere with insect behavior and manipulate pest populations is still a popular alternative chemicals pesticides for crop protection. But the initial high expectations of pheromones have been tempered by the relatively small number of proven successes in the field. However, despite some early disappointments, recent research is demonstrating the value of strategies that emphasize the integration of semiochemical deployment with other natural pest management tools. The study of plant-insect relationships is providing chemical bases for host plant finding, acceptance, or rejection as well as suitability for growth and development of the insect. Identified chemical factors may be used to increase the efficacy of more conventional biological control agents and may offer new approaches to the development of resistant plants. New information on the production and perception of semiochemicals is likely to reveal specific targets for interfering with insect behavior. Future progress will depend on continued collaboration between chemists and entomologists, with increasing input from biochemists, electrophysiologists, neurobiologists and behaviorists. Advances in the enzymology of semiochemical production, perception and processing are opening the door to molecular approaches that promise to spearhead a new wave of research to establish the role of semiochemicals in the future of integrated pest management.