Abstract:
The aphid alarm pheromone, (
E)-
β-farnesene (EBF), is a natural product secreted from the aphid cornicle to warn other companions of danger. As a natural aphid pheromone, (
E)-
β-farnesene can interact with odorant binding proteins (OBPs) and olfactory receptor (ORs) in the aphid olfactory system. Because of its multiple biological activities such as repellent, aphicidal and synergistic effects, (
E)-
β-farnesene is regarded as an aphid behavior control agent. However, its application was a challenge due to its instability arising from the conjugated double bonds in EBF. A brief introduction of the current situation in aphid control was covered in this review. The discovery and activity of (
E)-
β-farnesene was also summaried. According to the recent results obtained in the studies of EBF analogues, the structure modification and optimization of (
E)-
β-farnesene, the activities of EBF analogues and their mode of action were reviewed. And the outlook on the trend of EBF analogues as candidates of eco-friendly aphicide is proposed.