Crop protection: A new method for understanding insect sexual communication

A team of INRAE scientists, in collaboration with Université Côte d'Azur and Nanjing Agricultural University in China, has used an innovative AI-based method to identify the sex pheromone of the lily moth1 and the olfactory receptors associated with it. The insect pest, whose caterpillars feed on these plants, is found in Asia and Oceania. This approach to identifying previously unknown molecules opens up new possibilities for identifying pheromones in other species. These molecules play a key role in certain biocontrol strategies currently used to protect crops, particularly in France. The results were obtained as part of the EXPLOR'AE program and published in BMC Biology.