Development of sol–gel formulations for slow release of pheromones

A new type of dispenser for slow-release of sex pheromones and other semiochemicals was developed based on sol–gel polymers that can be useful for monitoring, mass trapping, and mating disruption in integrated pest management (IPM). Sol–gel matrices exhibit glass characteristics and allow control of the degree of cross-linking during the polymerization process in order to provide an optimal release rate for a particular pheromone. The advantages of sol–gel (silica) matrixes include keeping the added molecules chemically stable and enabling the sol–gel material to be applied in any desired thickness and pheromone quantity, and thereby readily modify release rates. In addition, sol–gels are primarily silica and water that are common in the environment and therefore safe for field dispensing. We developed a method for the entrapment of pheromones in sol–gel matrices that allowed release at an almost constant rate over many days in the field. For example, 2.5 mg (E)-5-decenyl acetate pheromone of peach twig borer, Anarsia lineatella, entrapped in various sol–gel formulations released 14–45 μg/day for up to 28 days. The codling moth (Cydia pomonella) pheromone in sol–gels was used in field tests to capture more codling moth males than unbaited control traps. We describe how the method may be modified to entrap other types of pheromones by making sol–gels with different pore sizes.