The Dynamics of Tomato Leafminer Tuta Absoluta (Meyrich, 1917) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) in Protected Tomato Crops From Muntenia Region (Romania)

Abstract

The South American native species Tuta absoluta is recognized as a tomato pest with fulminant dispersal ability in the new invaded areas. T. absoluta monitoring in all tomato-producing regions of the country is a vital step in early detection and integrated management decision-making. The aim of the study was to elucidate the interval of occurrence and population dynamics of T. absoluta in Muntenia region, respectively the vegetable basin that supply Bucharest northern markets. The paper presents the results of pest monitoring carried out in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, by using pheromone-baited traps and also by visual inspection of tomato crops in various greenhouses in four localities from Bucharest surrounding area. The study provides first systematic monitored data about T. absoluta dynamics in protected tomato crops from southern Romania. Depending on year weather conditions, in the greenhouses tomato crops from the investigated area, the tomato leaf miner completed maximum 3 to 4 generations from spring to autumn and the degree of attack on tomatoes reached its maximum at the end of the second vegetation cycle. There was also noted a steady annual increase in the number of adult catches and degree of attack on tomatoes in the protected crop from analysed area.

ENTOMOPATHOGENIC EFFECT OF SOME Beauveria ISOLATES ON THE TOMATO LEAF MINER Tuta absoluta (MEYRICK) (LEPIDOPTERA: GELECHIIDAE) LARVAE UNDER LABORATORY CONDITIONS

“…The pest was detected in Romania in 2009, being found first in the market and in a grange, then in a greenhouse (Leaota 2009, Cean & Dobrin 2009, Baetan et al 2013. Since 2018, the tomato leaf miner T. absoluta registered massive damage in Romanian horticultural farms (Ciceoi and Radulovici 2018) and has been considered as the key pest of tomato crops in southern Romania (Iamandei et al 2021). Recent researches in newly invaded areas are focused to the development of alternative pest management strategies, based on the use of specific predators, parasitoids (Biondi et al 2013, Chailleux et al 2013, plant extracts (Moreno et al 2011), nematodes (Garcia et al 2013) and pathogenic microorganisms (Contreras et al 2014;Klieber and Reineke 2015).…”