The effect of Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess) (Dipt., Agromyzidae) on fruit production and growth of tomatoes, Lycopersicon esculentum (Mill) (Solanaceae)

Abstract

The serpentine leafminer, Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess) (Agromyzidae) has, during the past 8 years, become an increasingly important pest on tomatoes, the second most important vegetable crop in South Africa. In some areas where weekly chemical applications are made on the basis of a threshold level of 0.25 mines per plant, it is feared that this pest has become resistant. In the present study, examination of the effect of various levels of infestation on growth and yield of tomatoes showed that neither growth nor yield were negatively affected by infestation levels of up to 1092 and 468 mines per plant in a glasshouse and field trial, respectively. A comparison of yield on control plants with 1–50, 51–100 and > 100 mines per plant (field trial) indicated that low L. trifolii infestations of 1–50 mines/plant in fact increased the yield by c. 60%. The phenology of L. trifolii feeding (before or during and after flowering) had no effect on yield and the effect of herbivory by L. trifolii was not obscured by any relationship between fruit production and growth of the tomato plants. These results were confirmed by a field trial and it is thus clear that even the threshold level being applied in the USA (four mines per three terminal leaflets per plant) is unrealistically low. Low correlations between number of mines per plant and percentage of pinnae or leaves infected indicated that assessing levels of infection by counting mines could not be replaced by the easier counting of pinnae or leaves infected.

Bio-rational insecticides toxicity against Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess) damaging Cantaloupes, Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis

“…A further observation with respect to fruit yield also depicted a similar trend with our data that though maximum fruit yield was recorded in abamectin but it was at par with spinosad. Our data observation also had other findings that though there was variation in terms of efficacy against leaf mining activity with each treatment but that could not influence the yield significantly among the treatments and in support, Kotze and Dennill (1996) observed that the phenology of L. trifolii feeding (before or during and after flowering) had no effect and the effect of herbivory by L. trifolii was not obscured by any relationship between fruit production and growth of the tomato plants.…”

Host Plant-Related Parasitism and Host Feeding Activities of Diglyphus isaea (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) on Liriomyza huidobrensis, Liriomyza sativae, and Liriomyza trifolii (Diptera: Agromyzidae)

“…The three Liriomyza species are highly polyphagous, attacking plants in several families 1 (Murphy and LaSalle 1999). Globally, they are important pests of high value horticultural crops such as snow pea (Pisum sativum L.; Fabaceae), French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.; Fabaceae), runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus L.; Fabaceae), okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench; Malvaceae], aubergine (Solanum melongena L.; Solanaceae), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.; Solanaceae), and passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims; Passifloraceae), and they can cause yield losses of up to 100% (Spencer 1973(Spencer , 1990Kotze and Dennill 1996;Chabi-Olaye et al 2008;Gitonga et al 2010). …”

Integrated pest management in the global arena

“…Similarly, leaf miners (mainly Liriomyza species) cause havoc worldwide in a variety of cropping systems (e.g. Spencer, 1972;De Lima, 1979;Singh and Merrett, 1980;Bourdouxhe, 1982;Cardona et al, 1985;ICARDA, 1987;Salas, 1992;Cisneros and Gregory, 1994;Barea et al, 1995;Ujiye and Adachi, 1995;Uygen et al, 1995;Kotze and Dennill, 1996;Singh and Weigand, 1996;Sharaf-El-Din et al, 1997;Cardona et al, 1998;de Souza et al, 1998;Shepard et al, 1998). Stemborers and parasitic weeds (e.g.…”