Work

Efficient Management of Fruit Pests by Pheromone Nanogels

Year: 2013

Type: article

Abstract: Environment-friendly management of fruit flies involving pheromones is useful in reducing the undesirable pest populations responsible for decreasing the yield and the crop quality. A nanogel has been prepared from a pheromone, methyl eugenol (ME) using a low-molecular mass gelator. This was very stable at open ambient conditions and slowed down the evaporation of pheromone significantly. This enabled its easy handling and transportation without refrigeration, and reduction in the frequency of pheromone recharging in the orchard. Notably the involvement of the nano-gelled pheromone brought about an effective management of Bactrocera dorsalis, a prevalent harmful pest for a number of fruits including guava. Thus a simple, practical and low cost green chemical approach is developed that has a significant potential for crop protection, long lasting residual activity, excellent efficacy and favorable safety profiles. This makes the present invention well-suited for pest management in a variety of crops.

Source: Scientific Reports

DOI: 10.1038/srep01294

Authors: Deepa Bhagat, Suman K. Samanta, Santanu Bhattacharya

Institutions: Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Department of Science and Technology

Language: English

Topic: Insect behavior and control techniques

Subfield: Insect Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Zero hunger

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,690