Dead-end trap plants as an environment-friendly IPM tool: A case study of the successful use of vetiver grass in China

A dead-end trap plant is a plant species that is highly attractive for oviposition and other activities of target pests, but on which they cannot complete their development, reproduction or survival. Due to its unique insecticidal mechanism and environment-friendly characteristics, it has received increasing attention in recent years. There are many species that can be used as trap plant, but few of them can be used as dead-end trap plants. These plants are commonly utilized for lepidopteran pest management in graminaceous crops, cruciferous vegetables and other cropping systems. At present, vetiver grass, Chrysopogon zizanioides, is widely used in the integrated pest management (IPM) of rice borers in southern China as an alternative to chemical pesticides. This article lists plant species that can be used as dead-end trap plants, together with the target pests and relevant cropping systems. In addition, the trapping principle and insecticidal mechanism of dead-end traps is reviewed, and the application of vetiver grass as a dead-end trap in rice borer IPM introduced. The future research directions of dead-end trap plants towards the protection of crops are also discussed.