Moths and other winged insects, and particularly their larva, can become a problem for farmers, often causing major damage to crops. Pesticides help alleviate the problem, but they have also been strongly criticized. Pheromones offer a sustainable alternative, albeit an expensive one. A new manufacturing technique is designed to reduce the costs of pheromones and make them competitive. In the EU project OLEFINE researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP are dedicated to sustainability and Life Cycle Assessment.
Moths and other winged insects, and particularly their larva, can become a problem for farmers, often causing major damage to crops. Pesticides help alleviate the problem, but they have also been strongly criticized. Pheromones offer a sustainable alternative, albeit an expensive one. A new manufacturing technique is designed to reduce the costs of pheromones and make them competitive. In the EU project OLEFINE researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP are dedicated to sustainability and Life Cycle Assessment.
Pesticides are under fire from critics: If they are sprayed on fruit, cereals or other plants, they harm the environment. After all, insecticides not only decimate crop pests such as the corn borer or the fall armyworm, but also reduce the numbers of useful insects such as bees, and thus decrease biodiversity.
Moreover, pesticide residues can adhere to food. Having said that, the world population is growing and needs to be fed without crop protection agents, this is practically impossible. Pheromones offer a sustainable solution. Instead of killing the insects, they ensure that male pests no longer find their female partners, thus preventing reproduction. As a result, there will be hardly any of the real pests i.e.
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