By Blake Jackson\
Researchers at Cornell University are reviving a decades-old scientific device to better understand the scents that attract or repel insects, with the goal of helping farmers manage destructive crop pests more effectively.
The instrument, known as an electroantennogram, was first developed nearly 70 years ago and played a key role in early pheromone research during the 1970s.
Today, scientists are adapting this technology to study pests that impact vegetables, fruit trees, and even humans, including mosquitoes.
The device measures how an insect’s antenna responds to specific scent molecules, allowing researchers to identify compounds that either lure pests or drive them away.
“With all the pests and invasive species, the application to agriculture is fundamental to be able to track down pests and monitor their population dynamics,” said Christophe Duplais, associate professor of chemical ecology at Cornell AgriTech.
Historically, research has focused on pheromones that attract male insects. However, understanding what attracts females is more complex but equally important, as females are responsible for laying eggs that lead to crop damage.
“In all the pest management we’re doing across different crops, we monitor many kinds of insects, but for moth pests, it’s the male, it’s never the female,” Duplais said.
In current studies, Duplais and entomologist Monique Rivera are examining scent compounds emitted by apples to identify those that attract female codling moths.
Using gas chromatography, they isolate these compounds and test them by attaching a moth’s antenna to electrodes. When a scent triggers a response, it produces a measurable electrical signal.
“We work with the pheromone industry and growers,” Duplais said. “As soon as we detect the right molecule, we can create the lure, test it in apple orchards, and if it works, make it commercially available.”
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Categories: New York, Crops, Education, Equipment & Machinery