Research Trends and Farmers' Perspectives on Pheromone Traps in Rice Cultivation: A Scopus-Based Analysis and Sustainable Development Insights

Abstract— Rice is a staple food in Bangladesh, and its production is crucial to ensuring food security and employment; however, it still suffers from extensive yield loss due to pest infestations. Pheromone traps are an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical pesticides that are not as widely utilized as they should be due to issues of knowledge and access. This research integrates global research priorities and farmer perceptions to enhance policy and support sustainable pest management in conjunction with conservation and the SDGs. To examine the appropriateness, mainstreaming, and sustainability of PTs within rice-based cropping systems, this analysis combined trends emerging from a global literature review with the experience of local farmers. A bibliometric analysis of 39 publications indexed in Scopus from 1995 to 2025 reveals an annual growth rate of 2.34%. Notably, there is a single-year spike in publications in 2024, accounting for over 20% of all outputs. After performing an authorship analysis, we observed 164 participants and a mean of 4.26 co-authors per paper, indicating that the research network had accepted some collaboration, but also that it was somewhat centralized. Although India, as a country, has the most significant number of articles, the average citation per article was highest for countries such as Australia and Korea (101.0 & 46.00, respectively), which have a high research impact despite relatively lower contributions. However, despite these encouraging patterns, a thematic analysis also found that relatively few studies investigated socio-economic adoption drivers or farmer attitudes. Field data are beginning to fill this gap based on monitoring efforts in Bangladesh, where 72% of the farmers surveyed indicated that they had heard about pheromone traps, but only 38% consistently used them to monitor jute pests. Farmers identified lower costs, ecological benefits, and pesticide reduction as the main advantages. At the same time, the lack of traps, limited extension support, and doubts about its effectiveness were significant constraints to adoption. This reemphasizes the need for research and policy to draw closer to farmers. Cross-disciplinary work—between agronomy, rural sociology, behavioral economics, extension services, and beyond—is needed to increase adoption. Just as important are public-private partnerships for maintenance, supply chain stability, and training programs. When adequately promoted, the pheromone trap can be transformed into a pillar practice for sustainable rice and feed production, aligning with SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 13 (Climate Action). Making this environmentally responsible invention a reality in practice, not just in textbooks, is both an opportunity and a necessity.