By Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC)
Insects rely on olfaction to locate the resources necessary for their development and survival. Based on this brief but complex foundation, our research focuses on the identification of semiochemicals—chemical signals used by organisms to communicate with each other—in pest insects, especially in the context of insect-insect and insect-plant interactions. By characterizing these chemical signals, we deepen our understanding of the chemical ecology of pest insects with a view to developing environmentally friendly control strategies aligned with the principles of Integrated Pest Management. To achieve this objective, our research is based on the isolation and identification of semiochemicals, the evaluation of their electrophysiological and behavioral activity, and finally the validation of their efficacy under field conditions.
