Tomato Leafminer (Tuta absoluta Meyrick 1917): A Threat to Tomato Production in Africa
Never Zekeya *
Department of Sustainable Agriculture and Biodiversity Conservation, School of Life Science and Bioengineering, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, P.O.Box 447, Arusha, Tanzania
Musa Chacha
Department of Sustainable Agriculture and Biodiversity Conservation, School of Life Science and Bioengineering, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, P.O.Box 447, Arusha, Tanzania
Patrick A. Ndakidemi
Department of Sustainable Agriculture and Biodiversity Conservation, School of Life Science and Bioengineering, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, P.O.Box 447, Arusha, Tanzania
Chris Materu
Mikocheni Agricultural Research Institute, P.O.Box 6226, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Maneno Chidege
Tropical Pesticide Research Institute, P.O.Box 3024, Arusha, Tanzania
Ernest R. Mbega
Department of Sustainable Agriculture and Biodiversity Conservation, School of Life Science and Bioengineering, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, P.O.Box 447, Arusha, Tanzania
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is an important vegetable crop for income, food and nutrition in Africa. Production of the crop is currently threatened by leaf miner [Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)]. Heavy infestation by T. absoluta has been reported to cause yield losses ranging from 80-100%. Tuta absoluta has high rate of reproduction and short life cycle making it very dominant in the infested tomato fields. Insecticide application for control of the pest is uneconomical for subsistence farming and beyond the earnings of majority of resource-poor farmers in Africa. Use of host resistance and or integrated pest management (IPM) strategies is slightly or not in use thus making the pest reign in the majority of African countries. This review discusses how T. absoluta threatens production and recommends some focal areas towards addressing this pest problem in the tomato industry in Africa.
Keywords: Tuta absoluta, tomato, Africa, pesticide resistance