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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Agroinfiltration and PVX Agroinfection in Potato and Nicotiana benthamiana

Agroinfiltration and PVX Agroinfection in Potato and Nicotiana benthamiana

Published on: January 3, 2014

The push-pull intercrop Desmodium does not repel, but intercepts and kills pests.

Anna L Erdei^1,2, Aneth B David^1,3, Eleni C Savvidou^1,4

¹Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden.

|March 13, 2024

Summary

The push-pull farming strategy

Keywords:

Desmodium Spodoptera frugiperda ecology fall army worm integrated pest management maize mechanical defence push–pull intercropping spodoptera littoralis

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Area of Science:

Agricultural Science
Ecology
Entomology

Background:

The push-pull intercropping system uses a repellent plant (push) and an attractive plant (pull) to control pests in maize.
This strategy was thought to work by repelling adult pests with volatile chemicals released by the intercrop, commonly Desmodium spp.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the mechanism behind the push-pull strategy's effectiveness against lepidopteran pests in maize.
To determine if volatile terpenoids are the primary deterrent in the Desmodium-maize intercropping system.

Main Methods:

Analysis of volatile compounds released by Desmodium in various conditions.
Oviposition choice tests using the invasive pest Spodoptera frugiperda in a wind tunnel.
Larval survival and development assays on Desmodium plants.

Main Results:

Volatile terpenoids were not detected in Desmodium headspace, and adult moths showed no preference for maize with or without Desmodium odor.
Neonate larvae preferred Desmodium over maize but did not survive, with older larvae being impaled by silica-fortified trichomes.
Desmodium appears to intercept and kill dispersing larvae rather than deterring adult pests.

Conclusions:

The push-pull strategy's pest control mechanism relies on larval interception by Desmodium, not adult deterrence via volatile compounds.
Understanding this mechanism is crucial for improving the push-pull system and applying the concept to other cropping systems.