TEHRAN – An Iranian knowledge-based company at Alborz science and technology park has managed to export pheromone traps to Afghanistan, Mehr reported on Friday.

Pheromones are chemicals used by insects and other animals to communicate with each other. Insects send these chemical signals to help attract mates, warn others of predators, or find food. Using specific pheromones, traps can be used to monitor target pests in agriculture or in residential areas.

The company has acquired certificates for nine types of sex pheromones, released by an organism to attract an individual of the opposite sex for reproduction, from the Plant Protection Organization, the managing director of the company explained.

Rasoul Ramezani said that the domestically-produced product costs half of foreign products but with higher quality.

“We have already exported the pheromone traps to Afghanistan and we are finding markets in other neighboring countries.”

Only 15 or 16 traps are enough on one hectare of land for a one-month period, he said, adding that the pheromone trap is good for walnut trees as well as apple trees.

“We are the first Iranian firm that produces pheromone for commercial purposes,” he noted.

He called using the pheromone trap as an organic method which is widely used worldwide due to disadvantages of chemical pesticides.

According to the Science Direct, sex pheromones could be implemented in direct pest control programs, that is, mating disruption and mass trapping. Mating disruption is where large amounts of sex pheromone is released into the crop in order to prevent males locating the females, whereas mass trapping involves insect pests being attracted to a site where they can be removed.

According to a statistic released by the Fortune Business Insights, the Global Agricultural Pheromones Market covered the value of $1.92 billion in the year 2017 and is expected to reach $6.21 billion by 2025.

The market in the Asia Pacific is projected to report swift growth in the years to come. This is attributable to the growing use of agricultural pheromones in most of the countries in this region. The rising demand for exporting agricultural products from Brazil and China may increase the usage of agricultural pheromones in upcoming years.

SB/MG