Eco-health solutions for plant pests

Inter-organismal interactions are influenced by chemical signals (semiochemicals) of varying nature. Olfaction plays an important role in these interactions as demonstrated in previous studies for certain above- and below-ground organisms, especially in their discrimination between hosts and non-hosts. The identities of these olfactory chemicals offer opportunities for their use and integration into the IPM tool-box for pest management. Our work over the last two decades has focused on the identification of semiochemicals that mediate specific behaviors including host location, feeding, mating and oviposition of crop pests. In this lecture, I will present two examples to illustrate our approaches to develop eco-health solutions for invasive plant pests in the face of climate extremes: i) use of non-host companion crops that exhibit multifunctional roles, with a special focus on the host-pest-predator interaction of the above-ground invasive insect pest, the tomato pinworm (Phthorimaea absoluta); and ii) use of a biodegradable lignocellulose matrix to manage the invasive plant parasitic nematode, the potato cyst nematode (Globodera rhostochensis) through disruption of the chemical signaling mediating its host finding.