Prospects for the biological control of Tuta absoluta in tomatoes of the Mediterranean basin

Abstract

Since its detection in the Mediterranean basin at the end of 2006 and later in other European countries, the South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick), has become a serious threat to tomato crops. In newly infested areas, it is especially problematic during the first years of its presence. Nevertheless, after 2-3 years, the incidence of T. absoluta has become less severe in certain areas. There are several factors contributing to this decline, such as the increase in growers' knowledge of pest behaviour and biology and the correct application of integrated pest control strategies. The impact of opportunistic native natural enemies (fortuitous biological control) should be considered as one of the key factors in this decline. In this review, available information on indigenous natural enemies is updated, and the current pest management approaches used against T. absoluta are addressed. Finally, future scenarios for biological control of this pest are discussed.

Prospects for predatory mirid bugs as biocontrol agents of aphids in sweet peppers

“…These successes have occurred mainly due to the selection and implementation of generalist predators native to the Mediterranean Basin. For tomatoes, the inoculation of the predatory mirid bug Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Miridae) in the nursery proved very effective in controlling key tomato pests, such as the sweet potato whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) and the South American tomato pinworm Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) (Calvo et al 2012a, b;Urbaneja et al 2012). For sweet peppers, the release of the predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii (AthiasHenriot) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) and the minute pirate bug Orius laevigatus (Fieber) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) provided effective control of the two key pests in this crop, the B. tabaci and the western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) (Blom 2008;Calvo et al 2009).…”

“…Zoophytophagous or plant feeding predators constitute a special case of generalist predators. Generalist zoophytophagous predators can use various food resources, such as alternative prey, and can feed on plant material, which further facilitates their establishment prior to pest infestation and their maintenance in the crop during periods of prey scarcity, resulting in crop systems that are more resilient to pest invasions (Ramakers and Rabasse 1995;Messelink et al 2008;Castañé et al 2011;Urbaneja et al 2012). These special features result in one of the most important challenges currently in biological control, which is the search and selection of generalist zoophytophagous predators (Bueno et al 2013).…”

Biological control using invertebrates and microorganisms: plenty of new opportunities

“…Removal of pesticides from the market due to observed health, non-target and environmental effects (e.g., the recent development concerning neonicotinoids; EASAC 2015), the development of resistance that makes pesticides less effective, and the appearance of new pests for which no pesticides are available (e.g., Tuta absoluta invasion in Europe in 2006, Urbaneja et al 2012) all stimulate use of ABC. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have in several cases successfully used information about environmental effects and illegal use of pesticides to initiate a change from chemical to biological control [e.g., in 2005 in the Almeria region in Spain, chemical control of pests in sweet pepper was replaced by biological control in a period of two years (Calvo et al 2012)].…”

“…Important recent successes in the use of ABC include the virtually complete replacement of chemical pesticides by predators (mites and hemipterans) to control thrips and whiteflies on sweet peppers in greenhouses in Spain (Calvo et al 2012), and hemipteran predators to control new invasive pests like the South American pinworm Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) (Urbaneja et al 2012). These examples show how well biological control with invertebrate biological control agents can function in modern agriculture, and that they can actually save agriculture in large areas that otherwise would have had to terminate vegetable production.…”

Tomato leafminer [(Tuta absoluta Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)] and its current ecofriendly management strategies: A review

“…This includes, cultural control measures (crop rotation, selective removal and destruction of infested plant material) (Korycinska et al, 2009), using natural enemies (parasitoids, predators, entomopathogens and nematodes) (Desneux et al, 2010;Urbaneja et al, 2012), botanicals and production of resistant tomato cultivar varieties (De Oliveira et al, 2012). The integration of these methods with each other and if possible with less environmental hazardous insecticides are important to control T. absoluta without disturbing ecological world.…”