Mutagenesis of the odorant receptor co-receptor (Orco) reveals severe olfactory defects in the crop pest moth Helicoverpa armigera.

Our study indicates that OR-mediated olfaction is essential for pheromone communication, oviposition selection, and larval chemotaxis of H. armigera, suggesting a strategy in which mate searching and host-seeking behaviors of moth pests could be disrupted by inhibiting or silencing Orco expression.