TUTA ABSOLUTA

TUTA ABSOLUTA “TOMATO LEAF MINER”

he the tomato leaf miner Tuta absoluta is a small lepidopterous of the Gelechidae family that is extended by the South American continent but which has made its way to Europe, the Middle East ,Africa and Southern Asia.

The principal targets hosts are tomatoes, egg- plants, peppers and potatoes, as well as other species of culminated or wild solanaciae.

This plague has a high reproductive potential, being able to reach from 10 to 12 gen- erations a year and presents a biological cycle of 29 to 38 days. The adults are nocturnal and normally hide among the foliage during the day. The females lay eggs on the plants.

The plague can affect the tomato plant in any state of its development -- from nursery to adult plants, though the larvae prefer to attack the apical buds, flowers or fruits. This allows a rapid observation of the symptoms in the field.

Tuta absoluta is capable of reducing up to 80-100% of total crop yield.

Risk of Insecticide Resistance in Tuta absoluta:

Pests such as Tuta absoluta, with a high reproduction capacity and short generation cycle, are at a higher risk of developing resistance to insecticides. This risk increases significantly when the management of the pest relies exclusively on chemical control with a limited number of effective insecticides. This situation usually leads to an increase in the frequency of use and thus, more selection pressure for resistance.

For the control of the Tuta absoluta adults, the most effective strategy is applying integrated pest management IPM, therefore Crop IQ Technologies have developed unique solutions to deal with this pest at various stages of infestation.

Global Resistance Status

Resistance status in Latin America vs. Europe,Africa, and Middle East:

In Latin America, high level and widespread resistance is known to exist in field populations of T. absoluta, mainly to organophosphates, pyrethroids, chloride channel activators, and benzoylureas .

The resistance levels appears to be correlated with greater use of these compounds by

growers and the resistance profiles seem to shift quickly with the pattern of insecticide use. The more prevalent resistance mechanisms appear to be metabolic in nature (increased activity of specific detoxification enzymes). In addition, there are suggestions that resistance may be polyfactorial and that several genes are involved. In Latin America, resistance has also developed to newer classes of insecticides introduced after the year 2000 .

Damage and Symptoms

Infestation of tomato plants occurs throughout the entire crop cycle. Feeding damage is caused by all larval instars and throughout the whole plant. On leaves, the larvae feed on the mesophyll tissue, forming irregular leaf mines which may later become necrotic. Larvae can form extensive galleries in the stems which affect the development of the plants. Fruit are also attacked by the larvae, and the entry-ways are used by secondary pathogens, leading to fruit rot. The extent of infestation is partly dependent on the variety. Potential yield loss in tomatoes (quantity and quality) is significant and can reach up to 100% if the pest is not managed.

Key Management Strategy - Integration of Control Measures

Allow a minimum of 6 weeks from crop destruction to planting the next crop to prevent carry-over of the pest from previous crop.
Between planting cycles, cultivate the soil and cover with plastic mulch or perform solarisation.
Control weeds to prevent multiplication in alternative weed host (especially Solanum, Datura, Nicotiana).
Prior to transplanting, install IQ Tuta sticky traps.
Use pest-free transplants.
Seal greenhouse with high quality nets suitable for T. absoluta.
Place IQ TUTA POWDER-X to monitor and mass trapping all stages of tomato production, i.e. nurseries, farms, packaging, processing and distribution centers. Start monitoring 2 weeks before planting.
You can our mating disruption product IQ TUTA-GEL MD and in our research and development a new innovative solution will be released on 2026.
Inspect the crop to detect the first signs of damage.

Search