[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/7385\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EPheromones, mulch and wildflowers \u2013 how to control pests without pesticides\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMost crops require pesticides to grow profitably. But many pesticides are too efficient at killing insects, often indiscriminately. They aim to hit specific crop pests but spray deadly fire at friendly insects and some may harm pollinators such as bees.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile the plight of bees attracts attention, other less visible insects are also in peril. Recent research found that \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0006320718313636\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E40% of all insects are declining\u003C\/a\u003E, and a quarter could be wiped out within a decade. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis is not inevitable. We can cut down on the use of many insecticides. To this end, scientists work on ways to protect crops from insect pests without wiping out beneficial insects which are often crucial to healthy ecosystems and provide sustenance to birds and other wildlife.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne strategy is to disrupt the mating of insects by jamming their chemical signals. Insects such as moths waft pheromones into the air, which allows males to follow the perfumed path to a female. The concoctions are usually specific to a species of insect.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy making the same pheromones as the insects and releasing them over crop fields, it is possible to confuse the insects by hiding their pheromone trails and making it difficult for them to pair up. This technique is called mating disruption.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe synthetic pheromones must be the same as those made by the insects, and unfortunately manufacturing them chemically is costly. As a result, mating disruption is mostly for high value fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes, apples and pears.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut now a European project called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/760798\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EOlefine\u003C\/a\u003E has developed a way to manufacture pheromones using \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S1096717620301567\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Eyeast fermentation\u003C\/a\u003E, making them a more affordable alternative to pesticides. This is done by introducing genes for insect enzymes into yeast.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We started with a lab process and then improved and optimised it,\u2019 said Professor Irina Borodina at the Technical University of Denmark and founder of the company \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biophero.com\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EBioPhero\u003C\/a\u003E. A yeast from cheese fermentation generated less than a milligram of pheromone per litre in a lab at the start of the project, but by the end was making grams per litre. \u2018There are lots of magic tricks we can do to make the cell cooperate with us,\u2019 said Prof. Borodina.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018People, particularly younger people, care a lot about the environment and are concerned about contamination of groundwater by persistent insecticides.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProf. Irina Borodina, Founder, BioPhero\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFermentation\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBioPhero is now working with several companies in Olefine and a project called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/886662\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EPHERA\u003C\/a\u003E in order to scale up the production of starter ingredients and turn them into cost-effective pheromone products that can be sprayed on commodity crops such as maize, soya bean, cotton and rice. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018There are two main limitations on the use of pheromones at a large scale,\u2019 said Prof. Borodina. \u2018One is price.\u2019 Pheromone price needs to fall significantly for mating disruption to be widely adopted for row crops. \u2018We can solve this by manufacturing pheromones using fermentation,\u2019 said Prof. Borodina.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Scientists at BioPhero are scaling up pheromone manufacturing through yeast fermentation. Image credit - BioPhero\u0022 height=\u0022720\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/biophero-web-034.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022Scientists at BioPhero are scaling up pheromone manufacturing through yeast fermentation. Image credit - BioPhero\u0022 width=\u00221080\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EScientists at BioPhero are scaling up pheromone manufacturing through yeast fermentation. Image credit - BioPhero\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe other challenge is how to formulate and dispense them. Currently, pheromones are dispersed through plastic hangars \u2013 more suitable for greenhouses than large crop fields. BioPhero is working with other companies that are expert in formulating pheromones for slow release in crop fields. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018(PHERA partners) are formulating pheromones in sprayable formulations and trying them out in the field, in real conditions for mating disruption,\u2019 Prof Borodina explained.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne pheromone will be useful to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S1096717620301567\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Einterfere with cotton ball worms\u003C\/a\u003E (\u003Cem\u003EHelicoverpa zea)\u003C\/em\u003E on cotton and soybean, and the diamondback moth (\u003Cem\u003EPlutella xylostella) \u003C\/em\u003Eon cabbages\u003Cem\u003E. \u003C\/em\u003EThe pheromone looked promising when sprayed \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.biorxiv.org\/content\/10.1101\/2020.07.15.205047v1.full.pdf\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Eonto cotton fields in Greece\u003C\/a\u003E. A \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S1096717620301567\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Esecond pheromone\u003C\/a\u003E will target fall armyworms (\u003Cem\u003ESpodoptera frugiperda)\u003C\/em\u003E, voracious crop eaters that spread from South America to Africa and Asia and consume grain crops, including maize.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUse of pheromones offers an environmentally friendly way to control specific insects, because \u2018it doesn\u2019t harm other insects, it doesn\u2019t harm biodiversity,\u2019 noted Prof Borodina. This supports \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/info\/strategy\/priorities-2019-2024\/european-green-deal\/actions-being-taken-eu\/farm-fork_en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ethe EU\u2019s Farm to Fork strategy\u003C\/a\u003E, which aims for a 50% pesticide reduction and 25% increase in organic farmland by 2030, she added. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe pheromones are also non-toxic, and they evaporate quickly. They are made from fatty acids, and so are also rapidly eaten by microbes. Unlike many pesticides, they therefore do not persist in the environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIntegrated \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, pheromones are not the only greener route to protect crops while cutting down on agrichemicals. Integrated pest management is a strategy that uses various control techniques to push levels of the pest down to acceptable levels. Pheromones can be part of this strategy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn Germany, Dr Severin Hatt in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.aol.uni-bonn.de\/en\/profil\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Eagroecology and organic farming group\u003C\/a\u003E at the University of Bonn is sowing crops without agrichemicals in ways that he hopes will supress diseases, insect pests and weeds, as part of a project called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/891566\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EWIDE-synergies\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Predators such as ladybirds can help keep down the population of pests such as aphids on wheat. Image credit - Severin Hatt\u0022 height=\u00221281\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/predatory_ladybird_beetle_seven_spot_ladybird_beetle_tracking_aphids_on_wheat_severin_hatt.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022Predators such as ladybirds can help keep down the population of pests such as aphids on wheat. Image credit - Severin Hatt\u0022 width=\u00221708\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EPredators such as ladybirds can help keep down the population of pests such as aphids on wheat. Image credit - Severin Hatt\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe planted seeds at \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.inres.uni-bonn.de\/institutions\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ethe experimental farming station outside Bonn\u003C\/a\u003E to grow different combinations of winter wheat and winter broad beans. There are 32 strips of crop, each measuring 25 metres long and 9 metres wide, in eight different planting regimes. The idea is to compare the effect of techniques such as intercropping, living mulch and wildflowers with strips consisting of wheat or broad bean.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPests and disease often are specific to one crop. Planting this one crop in a field makes it easy for a pest or disease to spread from one plant to the next, which is why agrichemicals are often so necessary in monocultures. Mixing two crops such as wheat and broad beans together \u2013 called intercropping \u2013 makes it less straightforward for a disease or pest to spread from plant to plant.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother strategy is to sow a living mulch amongst wheat. \u2018These are grasses and legumes that cover the soil,\u2019 explained Dr Hatt. \u2018It is an ecologically friendly way to reduce weeds.\u2019 The living mulch will not compete against the crop but against weeds that try to grow there.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr Hatt will also plant wildflowers beside some crop strips to see if this encourages beneficial insects, in the hope that they will transfer to nearby crops. The wildflower strips will consist of a mix of a dozen flowers that will attract beneficial insects, including predators of crop pests such as aphids. \u2018We will then monitor the predators of aphids, particularly ladybirds, hoverflies and lacewings, and some parasitic wasps,\u2019 said Dr Hatt. He will check regularly to see how many aphids are in a crop strip and if there are more natural enemies of these pests in some situations than in others.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Wildflower strips at the edge of crop fields are being tested in conjunction with intercropping and living mulch to determine their impact on pests, disease and weeds. Image credit - Severin Hatt\u0022 height=\u00221224\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/wildflower_strip_at_field_margin_severin_hatt.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022Wildflower strips at the edge of crop fields are being tested in conjunction with intercropping and living mulch to determine their impact on pests, disease and weeds. Image credit - Severin Hatt\u0022 width=\u00221632\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EWildflower strips at the edge of crop fields are being tested in conjunction with intercropping and living mulch to determine their impact on pests, disease and weeds. Image credit - Severin Hatt\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat is unusual about this experiment is that it will try intercropping and wildflower margins alone and together, to see if together they produce synergies. It will also look at more than just insect pests. \u2018Most research has focused on insects or disease or weeds, for intercropping or flower margins,\u2019 said Dr Hatt. \u2018Here we want to consider them all together.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInsecticides will not be used on the crop strips. None of the strategies risk killing beneficial insects, or risk insecticide residues being left on the crops or getting flushed into groundwater. This is something that is viewed as increasingly important.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Consumers are becoming more aware of the dangers (of pesticides) for their health,\u2019 said Prof. Borodina. \u2018And people, particularly younger people, care a lot about the environment and are concerned about contamination of groundwater by persistent insecticides.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe need to protect biodiversity is also increasingly a priority. The pheromone strategy does not kill insects but keeps pests at levels in a field where they do not cause economic harm to growers. \u2018People are becoming more aware of environmental health issues,\u2019 said Prof. Borodina.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-3qxyfxcylrauuebeh4d-7lcdzreguejce5e1mjcsbli\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-3qxYfxcYlrAuuEBEh4d_7LCDZReGUejCE5e1mjcsBLI\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]