Description

Tomato Leaf Miner (Tuta absuluta)

Nature of Damage:
Tuta absoluta is a devastating pest of tomato. The Larva 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 Tuta absuluta also attacks other crop plants of the solanaceae family, including potato, brinjal, chilli, capsicum and tobacco. The infestation of Tuta absoluta is very challenging to control. Effectiveness of chemical control is limited due to insect’s nature of damage as well as its rapid capability of development of insecticide resistant strains.