Commercialization of behavioral controls in the United States.

Chemical ecology explores interactions among organisms and their environment, identifying critical chemical signals (semiochemicals) produced by organisms in shared habitats. Advances in this field have contributed to the development of behavioral controls for integrated pest management (IPM), such as mating disruption, mass trapping, attract-and-kill, deterrents, repellents, and push/pull strategies. Adoption of these tools and techniques could result in a paradigm shift away from a heavy reliance on insecticide applications, but commercialization and widespread adoption of behavioral controls in agricultural IPM remains relatively rare in the United States. Here, we explore potential barriers to commercialization and adoption of behavioral controls by summarizing the stages of research and development, and we discuss regulatory and market influences on commercialization.