Prospecting for Insect Pheromones in Indonesia: Finds, Failures and the Future

The isolation, identification and application of pheromones in agriculture and forestry in Indonesia is beginning and is of increasing importance in the official government strategy of pest management. As the fourth most populous country in the world, home to some of the largest remaining tropical rainforests and undergoing rapid industrialization, there are a variety of powerful reasons for Indonesia to continue to develop and implement IPM programs that are effective, readily available and user-friendly. Many IPM programs will be benefited from the inclusion of a pheromone-based component. Several recent pheromone research projects, undertaken in Indonesia to identify and develop pheromones as tools in IPM programs, were examined. These include diamondback moth ( Plutella xylostella (L.)); soybean pod borer ( Etiella zinckenella Trietschke and E. hobsoni Butler); sugar cane top borer ( Scirpophaga nivella F.); and some coleopteran and other pests of palm ( Oryctes rhinoceros (L.), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier), R. vulneratus (Panzer) and Setothosea asigna (vE)). The nature of the pheromone was discussed in each case and how the pheromone information can be of assistance in IPM programs involving these insect pests was reviewed. Some obstacles to pheromone research as well as some of the limitations to the inclusion of pheromones in IPM programs were also reviewed in the Indonesian context. Obstacles involving the influence of difficulties in communication and access to information, bureaucracy and the acquisition of equipment and supplies are not uncommon. Further, communication of research results as well as the general level of capitalization of agricultural effort in addition to grower sociocultural factors can be problematic. However there are a large number of opportunities for productive pheromone research and we present an active ‘hot’ list of target insect/crop combinations which are likely to prove rewarding. Facilitation of a continuous indigenous research effort involving pheromones is being achieved through the development and strengthening of a Pheromone and Semiochemical Research Group centered at the Bandung Institute of Technology.