Suitability of Five Tomato Cultivars for Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae): Resistance Is Associated with a High Density of Glandular Trichomes

The Tomato Leaf Miner (TLM), Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), is a cosmopolitan tomato pest that has driven a renewed reliance on pesticides in tomato production, negatively affecting biological control of other pests and creating environmental and health hazards. We tested five locally important Iranian tomato cultivars (TD, Karon, Petoprid, Matin, and ۸۳۲۰) for constituitive resistance to TLM by comparing its biological performance and life table parameters under standardized laboratory conditions (۲۷.۵±۱°C, ۶۵±۵% RH, ۱۶ L:۸ D hours photoperiod). Survival and developmental rates of immature stages varied significantly among cultivars, as did female fecundity and main parameters of the life table. Karon was most suceptible, affording ۹۰% juvenile TLM survival, the fastest development, and the highest female fecundity, with cultivar ۸۳۲۰ not significantly different in these regards. By contrast, Matin ranked most resistant; i.e. only ۵۹% of larvae survived, and female fecundity was almost halved. TD was the next most resistant, being not significantly different from Matin in these metrics. The intrinsic rates of increase (r), in descending order, were Karon (۰.۱۷۸), ۸۳۲۰ (۰.۱۶۹), TD (۰.۱۴۶), Petoprid (۰.۱۳۸), and Matin (۰.۱۱۱). Matin and TD had the highest densities of glandular trichomes on adaxial leaf surfaces. These findings indicate that the Matin, Petoprid and TD are more resistant than the other cultivars and have potential as one component of an IPM strategy to manage T. absoluta.

کلیدواژه ها:

Antibiosis ، Host plant resistance ، Life tables ، Lycopersicon esculentum ، Tomato leaf miner.