Chemosensory pathways underlying oviposition behavior in the pest insect, Helicoverpa armigera – peripheral and central mechanisms:
 

Pest insects feeding on cultivated crops have been a substantial challenge for man from ancient times. The devastating locust swarms attacking agriculture in the Nile Valley, as described in the books of Moses (ca. 1405 bp), is one of the first written references to this problem. Scientific studies in the 1800s led to utilization of pest control chemicals, and later more specialized pesticides, such as DDT, were developed. The severe problems appearing around 1950, which included development of resistant insects as well pesticide residues piling up in the food chain, pointed out the necessity of an alternative control strategy. One of various biological methods for monitoring pest insects tested out during the latest decades, is utilization of chemically identified pheromones attracting the insect to the opposite sex. However, there are several disadvantages of using sex pheromones for trapping. Thus, an additional and yet unverified method for controlling pest species is to use chemical compounds regulating another essential event of reproduction, i.e., egg laying. This approach, which is aimed directly at the harmful larvae, may pave the way for innovation of novel pest control methods. So far, however, the knowledge about chemosignal pathways underlying oviposition behavior in insects is very limited. 

This four-year project (2021-2025) is carried out in collaboration with national and international researchers at ‘Norsøk - Norwegian Centre for Organic Agriculture’, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), ‘Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences’, Beijing, and Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China. The total budget is 13.230 mill NOK.