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Global crop productivity is reduced by 20–40% annually due to agricultural pests. Mass trapping with insect sex-pheromones have been the major option for the pest control because of non-negative impact on both natural enemy and environment. In addition to this, we can lure and record a wide variety of insect pests with low concentrations of the insect sex pheromone which is released by female insects. However, the lack of understanding regarding the mechanism of how insect sex pheromone lures and traps work in the field has negatively affected the application of these techniques in countries like China and Pakistan. This lack of understanding hinders growers' ability to accurately comprehend the effectiveness and proper utilization of insect sex pheromone lures in pest management. This review summarizes recent advancements in molecular understanding of insect sex pheromones (their relevant structures and compositions), mass trapping, mating disruption and peptide biosensors, various forms of insect sex pheromone traps with a focus on the integration of artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, and smart trap technologies used in Asia. According to this review, the insect sex pheromone technique is not only well understood but can also be effectively utilized for agricultural pest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the major staple food and cereal crop in all over the world as well as in Pakistan. Agriculture sector contributes 18.9% to Gross Domestic Product and plays an important role in the economy. There are many biotic and abiotic factors responsible for reduced wheat productivity. Many insect pests are associated with wheat which attack on different stages of crop, cause damage and ultimately results in yield reduction. Wheat crop is attacked by Aphid, Wheat weevil, Wheat midges, Cereal leaf beetle, White grubs, Termites, Grasshopper, Hessian fly, Flea beetles, Armyworm, Wheat stem sawfly, Helicoverpa armigera and Pink Graminous Stem Borer. This review aims to enlist important insect pest fauna of wheat and their damages to wheat crop, so that sustainable pests control measures should be adapted to minimize pest infestation and yield losses in the wheat crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugarcane is one of the major cash crop whose low productivity is due to low nutrients supply and insect pest attacks. The nutrient requirement may be fulfilled by increasing the amount of fertilizer supplements but pest attack is difficult to control through poisonous chemicals due to their harmful effects on plant growth as well as human health. Recently, sugarcane black bug (Cavelarius excavates) was reported to attack sugarcane crop in Pakistan which caused plethora of damages to the crop yield. To control the insect pest, first step is to identify the enemy insect precisely. Therefore, a DNA barcode based study was required for the correct identification of bug species. DNA barcoding is one of the most powerful and sophisticated tools for identifying insects where sequence of mitochondrial gene cytochrome C oxidase I (COI) is used as DNA marker. Sugarcane black bug was sampled and its genomic DNA was subject to PCR for amplification of COI gene. Sanger sequencing of targeted gene was done commercially from Macrogen (South Korea). Sequence analysis revealed that our sequence was first DNA barcode sequence of sugarcane black bug (Cavelarius excavates) in the databases. This study will help us to open more ways to understand and controlling sugarcane black bug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citrus limonoids, nomilin and limonin, were used for larvicidal assay against Aedes albopictus utilizing WHO methodology. LC were 305.83, 176.08, and 136.07 μM for nomilin and 850.09, 600.72, and 407.09 μM for limonin after 24, 48, and 72 h, respectively. LT assays exhibited that Savage citrange oil was the best at all concentrations (400, 500, 600, and 700 ppm) while Fairchild and Cassa grande were the weakest oils at 400 ppm, but at 500, 600, and 700 ppm, Carrizo citrange remained at the bottom with highest LT values. Results exhibited that nomilin was more toxic than limonin and therefore provided a clear indication that limonoids in sample oils influenced the potential of respective oil. Out of the 10 tested citrus seed oils, Savage citrange ( Citrus sinensis) comprised the maximum amount of limonin (2823.59 μg/ml) followed by grapefruit, Sacaton citrumelo, and Jaffa. When this oil (Savage citrange) was evaluated for bioassay against larvae of Ae. albopictus, it reflected complete dominance (LC and LT) as compared to rest of the oils. Although Jaffa ( Citrus paradisi) was found to contain nomilin and limonin, it was found less effective as compared to Savage citrange. The oils from Minneola and Chinese lime did not contain limonin and nomilin, and were therefore weak in terms of LC values. Presence of limonin and nomilin in plant products is therefore a significant indicator of the pest control that needs to be exploited in other plants as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to (1) examine the factors involved in the adoption or non-adoption of Bt cotton, (2) identify sources of Bt cotton seed acquisition, and (3) evaluate farmers' knowledge and perception of insect pests incidence and management practices in Bt cotton in the Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 150 farmers growing Bt cotton expressing Cry1Ac protein were interviewed in the main cotton-growing districts of the Punjab province. The main reasons for farmers adopting Bt cotton were to: (1) reduce bollworm damage; (2) reduce pesticide requirements; (3) obtain higher yield and profit; and (4) reduce labour. Most farmers were not initially aware of Bt cotton's effectiveness against cotton bollworms and then grew it on a trial basis. The main sources of Bt cotton seed were the local market and seed companies while many farmers used home-retained Bt cotton seed, much as they do with conventional cotton. Our survey showed that farmers were aware of the major insect pests of cotton and reported a low incidence of cotton bollworms (Helicoverpa armigera, Pectinophora gossypiella, Earias vitella and E. insulana) and a high incidence of armyworm (Spodoptera litura and S. exigua) and sucking pests (Bemisia tabaci, Thrips tabaci, Amrasca devastans and Aphis gossypii) in Bt cotton. Farmers also noted the incidence of a new pest, the cotton mealybug (Phenacoccus sp.), which caused major damage to the crop in most cotton-growing areas. Farmers knew little about natural enemies and diseases in their fields, but reported a high incidence of cotton leaf curl virus. Farmers still relied heavily on chemicals to control the pests in Bt cotton as they are easily persuaded by the advertisements of pesticide companies. To further understand farmers' perceptions of Bt cotton, a survey of 75 farmers not cultivating Bt cotton was conducted. The main reason for the rejection of Bt cotton by farmers was that they were not sure of its effectiveness against insect pests. Higher prices of Bt cotton seed, perception of higher vulnerability to viral infection and greater requirements for fertilisers and irrigation were also reasons for rejection of Bt cotton cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]