Abstract:

The objective of this review was to summarize the current information about semiochemicals with potential to be applied in insect pest management in agroecosystems. One of the great challenges to Neotropical agriculture is to reduce the indiscriminate use of pesticides, which can be minimized by using semiochemicals, a tool that can be applied in the field to manage pests and their natural enemies. In addition, small lipophilic molecules from insects and from the secondary metabolism of plants play a fundamental role in the chemical communication of different species that are present in important crops.

Index terms:
chemical communication; herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs); oviposition-induced plant volatiles (OIPVs); pest control; pheromone; synomone.