Tuta absoluta
Encyclopedia
Tuta absoluta is a species of moth
in family Gelechiidae
known by the common names tomato leafminer and South American tomato moth. It is well-known as a serious pest of tomato
crops in Europe and South America.
feeds voraciously upon tomato plants, producing large galleries in leaves, burrowing in stalks, and consuming apical buds and green and ripe fruits. It is capable of causing a yield loss of 100%.
Tomato is the main host plant, but T. absoluta also attacks other crop plants of the nightshade family
, including potato
, eggplant, pepino
and tobacco
. It is known from many solanaceous weeds, including Datura stramonium
, Lycium chilense, and Solanum nigrum
.
The adult moth has a wingspan around one centimeter. In favorable weather conditions eight to ten generations can occur in a single year.
. The following year it was detected in France
, Italy
, Greece
, Malta
, Morocco
, Algeria
, and Libya
. In 2009 Turkey
started to experience Tuta absoluta damages in Turkish farms and greenhouses.
and pyrethroid
pesticides. Newer compounds such as spinosad
, imidacloprid
, and Bacillus thuringiensis
have demonstrated some efficacy in controlling European outbreaks of this moth.
Experiments have revealed some promising agents of biological pest control
for this moth, including Nabis pseudoferus
, a species of damsel bug.
The sex pheromone for Tuta absoluta has been identified by researchers at Cornell University and has been found to be highly attractive to male moths. Pheromone lures are used extensively throughout Europe, South America, North Africa and the Middle East for the monitoring and mass-trapping of Tuta absoluta. The making, using, selling, offering to sell, or importing of products based on the sex pheromone of the Tuta absoluta is protected by a United States Patent, which is exclusively licensed to ISCA Technologies and its distributors.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
in family Gelechiidae
Gelechiidae
Gelechiidae is a family of moths commonly referred to as twirler moths or gelechiid moths. They are the namesake family of the huge and little-studied superfamily Gelechioidea, and the Gelechiidae's relationships with and delimitation against their relatives have been subject to considerable...
known by the common names tomato leafminer and South American tomato moth. It is well-known as a serious pest of tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
crops in Europe and South America.
Biology
The larvaLarva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
feeds voraciously upon tomato plants, producing large galleries in leaves, burrowing in stalks, and consuming apical buds and green and ripe fruits. It is capable of causing a yield loss of 100%.
Tomato is the main host plant, but T. absoluta also attacks other crop plants of the nightshade family
Solanaceae
Solanaceae are a family of flowering plants that include a number of important agricultural crops as well as many toxic plants. The name of the family comes from the Latin Solanum "the nightshade plant", but the further etymology of that word is unclear...
, including potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
, eggplant, pepino
Solanum muricatum
Solanum muricatum is a species of evergreen shrub native to South America and grown for its sweet edible fruit.It is known as pepino dulce or simply pepino; the latter is also used for similar species such as "S. mucronatum"...
and tobacco
Nicotiana tabacum
Nicotiana tabacum, or cultivated tobacco, is a perennial herbaceous plant. It is found only in cultivation, where it is the most commonly grown of all plants in the Nicotiana genus, and its leaves are commercially grown in many countries to be processed into tobacco. It grows to heights between 1...
. It is known from many solanaceous weeds, including Datura stramonium
Datura stramonium
Datura stramonium, known by the common names Jimson weed, devil's trumpet, devil's weed, thorn apple, tolguacha, Jamestown weed, stinkweed, locoweed, datura, pricklyburr, devil's cucumber, Hell's Bells, moonflower and, in South Africa, malpitte and mad seeds, is a common weed in the...
, Lycium chilense, and Solanum nigrum
Solanum nigrum
Solanum nigrum is a species in the Solanum genus, native to Eurasia and introduced in the Americas, Australasia and South Africa.-Description:Black...
.
The adult moth has a wingspan around one centimeter. In favorable weather conditions eight to ten generations can occur in a single year.
Global Spread
This moth was first known as a tomato pest in many South American countries. In 2006, it was identified in SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The following year it was detected in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, and Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
. In 2009 Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
started to experience Tuta absoluta damages in Turkish farms and greenhouses.
Management
Some populations of T. absoluta have developed resistance to organophosphateOrganophosphate
An organophosphate is the general name for esters of phosphoric acid. Phosphates are probably the most pervasive organophosphorus compounds. Many of the most important biochemicals are organophosphates, including DNA and RNA as well as many cofactors that are essential for life...
and pyrethroid
Pyrethroid
A pyrethroid is an organic compound similar to the natural pyrethrins produced by the flowers of pyrethrums . Pyrethroids now constitute a major commercial household insecticides...
pesticides. Newer compounds such as spinosad
Spinosad
Spinosad is a new chemical class of insecticides that are registered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to control a variety of insects...
, imidacloprid
Imidacloprid
Imidacloprid is a nicotine-based, systemic insecticide, which acts as a neurotoxin and belongs to a class of chemicals called the neonicotinoids. Although it is now off patent, the primary manufacturer of this chemical is Bayer CropScience,...
, and Bacillus thuringiensis
Bacillus thuringiensis
Bacillus thuringiensis is a Gram-positive, soil-dwelling bacterium, commonly used as a biological pesticide; alternatively, the Cry toxin may be extracted and used as a pesticide. B...
have demonstrated some efficacy in controlling European outbreaks of this moth.
Experiments have revealed some promising agents of biological pest control
Biological pest control
Biological control of pests in agriculture is a method of controlling pests that relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms...
for this moth, including Nabis pseudoferus
Nabis pseudoferus
Nabis pseudoferus is a type of damsel bug in the family Nabidae.This insect shows promise as an agent of biological pest control against the South American tomato pinkworm ....
, a species of damsel bug.
The sex pheromone for Tuta absoluta has been identified by researchers at Cornell University and has been found to be highly attractive to male moths. Pheromone lures are used extensively throughout Europe, South America, North Africa and the Middle East for the monitoring and mass-trapping of Tuta absoluta. The making, using, selling, offering to sell, or importing of products based on the sex pheromone of the Tuta absoluta is protected by a United States Patent, which is exclusively licensed to ISCA Technologies and its distributors.