Insect phototransduction: illuminating pathways to precision Pest management

Insects rely on their visual systems to perform critical behaviors such as host location and phototaxis, and phototransduction, the conversion of photons into electrical signals, constitutes the core mechanism underlying visual function. Most research focuses on model insects like fruit flies, while common agricultural pests remain underexplored. This review integrates current knowledge of insect visual phototransduction to identify molecular and neural targets for precision pest management. This review systematically outlines the complete phototransduction pathway in insect vision: compound eyes and visual lobes exhibit structural specialization adapted to different ecological niches; rhodopsin synthesis and opsin diversity form the molecular foundation; the 'opsin-phospholipase-transient receptor potential channels' pathway and histamine-acetylcholine dual-transmitter branching achieve signal cascading and functional differentiation. Current research has led to the development of three environmentally friendly pest control technologies, first, vision-based traps that capture pests by optimizing spectral, polarization, and color properties of materials; second, molecular tools such as CRISPR/Cas9, RNA interference, and anti-sense DNA to target visual genes; and third, multimodal devices that combine sensory synergy with smart optical technologies for physical interception. Existing vision-based pest control methods still face significant limitations in field applications and tend to be highly species-specific. Future efforts should integrate basic vision research with practical applications to drive the transition from chemical dependency to ecologically friendly and precision pest management. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.