In a recent collaborative research project, scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research JNCASR, Bengaluru (an autonomous institution under the Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India) and ICAR–National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources (ICAR–NBAIR), India have developed a sustainable pheromone dispenser with a controlled release rate which could act as an innovative solution to substantially reduce the costs of pest control and management.
A newly developed sustainable pheromone dispenser with a controlled release rate could bring down costs of pest control and management. Pest control is an essential part of agriculture, as insects and other parasites left unchecked can quickly decimate an otherwise good crop.
Permanent organic pheromone dispensers are not a new concept. In fact, polymer membrane or polypropylene tube dispensers that release pheromones already dominate the market. The released pheromones change the behavior of the targeted insect species and attract them to the sticky trap. However, their main drawback is that the rate at which the pheromones are released into the air is not constant. In other words, these traps need to be checked and replaced frequently, which increases costs and the amount of manual labor required.