The “push-pull” strategy, a novel tool for integrated pest management programs, uses a combination of behavior-modifying stimuli to manipulate the distribution and abundance of insect pests and/or natural enemies. In this strategy, the pests are repelled or deterred away from the main crop (push) by using stimuli that mask host apparency or are repellent or deterrent. The pests are simultaneously attracted (pull), using highly apparent and attractive stimuli, to other areas such as traps or trap crops where they are concentrated, facilitating their control.
The term “push-pull” was first conceived as a strategy for insect pest management by Pyke, Rice, Sabine and Zaluki in Australia in 1987. They investigated the use of repellent and attractive stimuli, deployed in tandem, to manipulate the distribution of Heliocoverpaspp. in cotton to reduce reliance on insecticides, to which the moths were becoming resistant. The concept was later formalized and refined by Miller and Cowles in the...
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Khan, Z.R., Pickett, J.A. (2008). Push-Pull Strategy for Insect Pest Management. In: Capinera, J.L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Entomology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6359-6_3253
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