TAXONOMIC ASPECTS OF TUTA ABSOLUTA (LEPIDOPTERA: GELECHIIDAE) AND THE ROLE OF SOME BIOAGENTS IN CONTROLLING IT ON TOMATO PLANT IN EGYPT

Abstract

Tomato plants are considered one of the most important economic vegetable crops in the world. Tomato plants infested with many important pests especially the tomato borer, Tuta absoluta which causes severe loss in yield. It also infest other Solanaceae crops such as potatoes and eggplants. This study aimed to cover some ecological aspects and control of T. absoluta on certain Solanaceae plants and commercial tomato cultivars and identifying this pest using Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (MT-COI). The field study was done at Qaha region, Qalyubiya Governorate. According to host preference tomato hybrid Alissa F1 harbored the most relative density of T. absoluta larvae compared with pepper, eggplant and potato throughout two successive years 2013 and 2014. The susceptibility of five tomato cultivars; Alissa F1, Super strain B, G.S 12 F1, E603 F1(Logain) and Indos were also studied in early summer and summer plantations; 2013 and 2014. The highest seasonal mean number was recorded on Alissa F1cultivar with mean numbers of 5.53 larvae/10 leaflets for the two seasons, 2013 and 2014. While the lowest mean number (2.99 larvae/10 leaflets) was recorded on Logain (E603 F1) cultivar, for the two seasons. The highest mean number of glandular trichome type on underside of tomato leaflets was detected in Logain cultivar (22.6 trichome/1mm2 leaflet) and the lowest number was on Alissa (3.8 and 3.2 trichome/1mm2 leaflet). This trichome type related significantly and negatively with the mean number of larvae pest. In addition, chemical analysis of leaflets for the tested cultivars revealed that Logain tomato cv. leaflets had high contents of essential oil, acylsuger, flavonoids, phenolics, carbohydrates and pr