When insect mating stops, it is good for the crops

A biosolution-based technology, developed by the company FMC, has made pheromones more cost-effective, giving more farmers around the world access to an improved way of controlling insect pests in agriculture.

The agricultural industry plays a crucial role in securing enough food for a growing world population. New technologies are required to continue enhancing crop yields while reducing our overall impact on the environment, biodiversity, and natural resources.

Biosolutions lower the price of and increase the access to pheromones

FMC Corporation is one of the leading developers of biological crop solutions like insect pheromones, and they are dedicated to use their solutions to accelerate the green transition in agriculture.

Their insect pheromones are used to control insect pests by disrupting their mating and thereby preventing new generations of targeted pests from emerging.

While the use of insect pheromones in agriculture is not new, the manufacturing method from FMC is. Their manufacturing method combines yeast modification, fermentation, and chemical processing to produce pheromones at an industrial scale. This biosolution-based technology has made pheromones more cost-effective, giving more farmers around the world access to a more environmentally friendly way of controlling insect pests in agriculture.

Furthermore, FMC’s yeast fermentation is scalable both in terms of quantity and types of pheromones, making it possible to produce pheromones for a wide range of insect pests in many different crops from corn and rice to fruits and cotton.

As insect pheromones are natural compounds released by insects in small quantities to aTtract a mating partner of the same species, they leave bees and other beneficial insects to thrive.

Yields are increased and biodiversity is preserved

FMC has conducted dozens of field trials around the world in countries such as Brazil, Mexico, USA, Spain, Hungary, China, and Indonesia with the objective to develop pheromone-based products for the row crop market.

The pheromone products show promise in controlling major pests in row crops, such as the fall armyworm by reducing pest pressure and damages to the crop, giving farmers a biological tool to improve the protection and health of crops throughout the growing season and, consequently, the quality and quantity of the harvest.

As insect pheromones are natural compounds released by insects in small quantities to attract a mating partner of the same species, they leave bees and other beneficial insects to thrive.