The role of pheromones in farm animals-A review

Pheromones are found throughout the living world and are a primal form of communication. These chemical messengers are transported outside the body and have a direct developmental effect on hormone levels and/or behaviour. The pheromones play an important role in animal behavior and reproductive processes. This review article aims to highlight the role of pheromones of farm animals. The pheromone signals are known to have a potential role in animal reproduction and management. The sources of chemosignals are urine, feces, vaginal secretions, saliva, and specialized scent glands including the odor produced from hair and wool. Pheromones can act as a marker to detect estrus where its detection is a problem and for diagnosing early pregnancy in farm animals. The potential implication of pheromones on improving sexual desire in male is also important. There is huge scope of application of pheromones once it is characterized and synthesized chemically.