Management of Tuta absoluta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) Using Biopesticides on Tomato Crop under Greenhouse Conditions

Abstract

Tuta absoluta is the major insect invading tomato crop under greenhouse and open field conditions in Lebanon. Farmers mainly depend on chemical control to reduce damage caused by the larva. The hazard use of chemical agents can lead to resistance accumulation. The objective of this study is to investigate alternative agents like biopesticides to control this pest. Two field trials were conducted at the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI) for two years under greenhouse conditions. In 2014, the first trial was conducted in two greenhouses: 1-control greenhouse without insect proof net (CG); 2-double door Greenhouse with insect proof net (DDG). In 2015, the second trial was conducted only in control greenhouse.Four treatments and control (not treated plot) were adopted in both trials. The biopesticides used in this study were Neem azal and Bacillus thuringiensis. Results of the first trial showed that using insect proof net reduced the captured adults on the water trap as compared with control greenhouse and thus reducing the damaged caused by the larva of tomato leaf miner on leaves and fruits. The adopted treatments have shown significant differences in the number of mines/leaf, live larva/leaf and percent of damaged fruits in both trials compared to the control. Applying Bacillius thuringiensis and neem azal separately and mixing them together have shown a promising alternative method to chemical control.

Effectiveness of bio-insecticides and mass trapping based on population fluctuations for controlling Tuta absoluta under greenhouse conditions in Albania

“…With average temperatures ranging between 20 and 35 ᵒC in this season, a higher number of larvae hatch from eggs to progress to further development. These results are in agreement with those reported by Tabikha andHassan (2015) andEl Hajj et al (2017). Introduced species generally have fewer natural enemies compared with native species (Torchin and Mitchell, 2004), and recent cases of invasive pests indicate that local antagonists need time to adapt to the invader, which leads to loss of production during this period (Giorgini et al, 2018).…”

Botanical insecticide and natural enemies: a potential combination for pest management against Tuta absoluta

“…The combination between biopesticides and natural enemies is advisable for IPM or organic farming to control T. absoluta (Campolo et al 2017;El Hajj et al 2017). To optimize such strategies, the potential lethal and sublethal effects of biopesticides on natural enemies must be tested (Biondi et al 2012(Biondi et al , 2013Desneux et al 2005).…”

Effectiveness of two biopesticides against the invasive tomato pest Tuta absoluta

“…Azadirachtin acts as an antifeedant, an oviposition deterrent, and as a toxic molecule leading to high larvicide and ovicide rates (Forim et al, 2012;Chaudhary et al, 2017) which may explain the lower rate of foliar attacks and mines, as already reported in other laboratory and field studies of T. absoluta (Gonz alez-Cabrera et al, 2011;Ladurner et al, 2011;Khird et al, 2013;Kona et al, 2014;Yankova et al, 2014;Ajibade et al, 2017;El Hajj et al, 2017;Shiberu & Getu, 2018). It also delays the development of larvae and the number of them reaching the pupal stage (Abd El-Ghany et al, 2018).…”

“…In Senegal, less than 5% of smallholders use biopesticides (Diatte et al, 2018) even though they are environmentally friendly options for pest management and health. Some bioinsecticides have been shown to be effective for the management of T. absoluta (Braham & Hajji, 2012;Hafsi et al, 2012;Lokanadhan et al, 2012;Hanafi & El-Sayed, 2013;Tom e et al, 2013;Kona et al, 2014;El Aassar et al, 2015;El Hajj et al, 2017;Shiberu & Getu, 2018). In our study, the azadirachtin-and Bt-based bioinsecticides were rapidly effective (4 days after application) in significantly reducing the mean leaf area affected by T. absoluta and the number of mines seen for a period of at least 2 weeks.…”

“…To this end, we tested (1) a botanical product based on azadirachtin which is a secondary metabolite found in neem, Azadirachta indica A. Juss. (Meliaceae), widely used against many insect pests thanks to its antifeedant, repellent, and toxic properties (Castillo et al, 2010;Gonz alez-Cabrera et al, 2011;Ladurner et al, 2011;Forim et al, 2012;Yankova et al, 2014;Abijade et al, 2017;Chaudhary et al, 2017;El Hajj et al, 2017;Soares et al, 2019) and (2) a microbial product based on Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), an entomopathogenic bacterium that has been used for more than 50 years to control many insect pests, particularly many species of Lepidoptera thanks to its ability to prevent feeding and thus cause insect death by starvation (Gonz alez-Cabrera et al, 2011;Luna-Finkler & Finkler, 2012;Youssef & Hassan, 2013;Ajibade et al, 2017;El Hajj et al, 2017). We also compared their potential effectiveness to that of a deltamethrin-based insecticide belonging to the pyrethroid group that was commonly used in our study area in Senegal.…”