AI Method Identifies Sex Pheromone of Lily Moth

A team based at INRAE, partnering with Université Côte d'Azur and China's Nanjing Agricultural University, applied an AI-driven technique to pinpoint the sex pheromone produced by the lily moth, a pest present throughout Asia and Oceania, per research published in BMC Biology and reported in coverage appearing between 21 and 26 September 2026.¹²³⁴

A reversed approach

Rather than starting from the insect that emits a chemical signal, researchers began with the receiver: the lily moth's olfactory receptors. They analysed the insect's genes and, by comparing them with related species, selected two candidate receptors likely to be involved in detecting a sex pheromone.²¹³

Artificial intelligence was then used to predict the three-dimensional structure of these receptors, and molecular docking techniques tested a range of volatile molecules to identify those most likely to interact with them, according to the researchers.²¹³

From prediction to confirmation

The computational analysis pointed to a candidate pheromone and its associated receptors. Experimental tests then confirmed that the selected olfactory receptors could detect the predicted volatile compounds, and physicochemical and electrophysiological methods showed that female lily moths secrete the molecule while males are able to detect it, per the researchers.²¹

The molecule identified is (Z,E)-9,11-tetradecadienyl acetate. Behavioural tests confirmed that it attracts male lily moths and triggers sexual behaviour in them, the researchers reported.²¹

The published study also reports that AI-assisted modelling and docking of two specific receptors, OR5 and OR75, predicted the principal pheromone component, which was subsequently verified through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, antennal recordings and behavioural experiments. The paper additionally identifies three minor components of the pheromone blend and examines how the receptors evolved through gene duplication.⁵

A pest without an established control method

The lily moth is a non-model species not found in mainland France, according to the researchers, and its sexual communication was previously unknown. Its caterpillars feed on the plants referenced in the study, and the moth is characterized as a notable pest across numerous regions worldwide, especially in private gardens, public parks and botanical gardens, where pest-control product regulations are particularly stringent, per the dossier's sources.²¹³⁴

Phys.org reports that INRAE researchers, in collaboration with Université Côte d'Azur and China's Nanjing Agricultural University, applied the AI-based technique to pinpoint both the pheromone and its associated olfactory receptors, with the outlet also noting the lily moth's status as an insect pest and identifying Nanjing Agricultural University's location in China.⁴

Wider implications for crop protection

Identifying a species' sex pheromone can aid population management, and certain existing biocontrol methods already exploit insect sexual signaling to mitigate crop damage, the researchers note. Insects are described as essential for ecosystem services while also causing damage to crops.²¹

Phys.org notes that such molecules are central to several biocontrol strategies presently employed for crop protection, especially in France, and that this newly proven technique for discovering previously unidentified molecules could pave the way for finding pheromones in additional species.⁴

The researchers characterize the study as demonstrating feasibility for matching receptors with pheromones in insects, stating that the method could substantially accelerate efforts to identify undiscovered sex pheromones across numerous species. They add that identifying such molecules can also offer insight into the evolutionary history of species, since pheromones function as chemical signatures that contribute to species isolation.²¹

Funding and next steps

This research took place under the Invoria project, backed by the EXPLOR'AE Programme that France's Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space assigned to INRAE for fostering innovative, disruptive research with potentially major impact. Experiments building on the findings are currently under way on the lily moth, according to the researchers.²¹⁴