Insects (2014) 5, 877-884

Thomas Bawin, Lara De Backer, David Dujeu, Pauline Legrand, Rudy Caparros Megido, Frédéric Francis and François J. Verheggen (2014)
Infestation level influences oviposition site selection in the tomato leafminer Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)
Insects 5 (4), 877-884
Abstract: The tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), is a devastating pest that develops principally on solanaceous plants throughout South and Central America and Europe. In this study, we tested the influence of three levels of T. absoluta infestations on the attraction and oviposition preference of adult T. absoluta. Three infestation levels (i.e., non-infested plants, plants infested with 10 T. absoluta larvae, and plants infested with 20 T. absoluta larvae) were presented by pairs in a flying tunnel to groups of T. absoluta adults. We found no differences in terms of adult attraction for either level of infestations. However, female oviposition choice is influenced by larvae density on tomato plants. We discuss the underlying mechanisms and propose recommendations for further research.
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Full text of article
Database assignments for author(s): François J. Verheggen, Thomas Bawin, Frédéric Francis

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution
environment - cropping system/rotation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Phthorimaea absoluta	Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)	France