Potato tuber moth (PTM), Phthorimaea operculella, is a serious pest of stored potato in most countries where potatoes are grown. Entomopathogens offer promise as alternatives to broad spectrum insecticides for management of this pest. The fungus Muscodor albus, which produces a mixture of antimicrobial volatile organic chemicals, was tested for its insecticidal activity against PTM. Adults and ...

Most agricultural pests are poikilothermic species expected to respond to climate change. Currently, they are a tremendous burden because of the high losses they inflict on crops and livestock. Smallholder farmers in developing countries of Africa are likely to suffer more under these changes than farmers in the developed world because more severe climatic changes are projected in these areas. ...

The tomato leaf miner Tuta absoluta is one of the most destructive pests plant Solanum lycopersicum L worldwide. Synthetic chemical insecticides are mainly used to manage T. absoluta. However, their excessive use has led serious problems concerning human health, non-target organisms and environnement. Biological control, using bacteria, entomopathogenic fungi, animals plants remain an eco-frien...

The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) is one of the most serious insect pests plants. Current control strategies for T. primarily involve use insecticides, but increasing resistance in field populations has prompted research on alternative measures. Biological with entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) can be an or component Integrated Pest Management programme. In foliar appli...

Abstract Background The South America pinworm, Tuta absoluta , is a destructive pest of tomato that causes important losses worldwide. Breeding resistant/tolerant cultivars could be an effective strategy for T. management but, despite the economic importance tomato, very limited information available about its response to this treat. To elucidate defense mechanisms herbivore feeding comparative...

The potato tuber moth, Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller), in tropical and subtropical countries, is the most destructive pest of potato, Solanum tuberosum L. The larvae attack foliage and tubers in the field and in storage. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a Bt-cry5 transgene to control the potato tuber moth in tuber tissues. Tuber bioassays using stored (11-12 mo old) a...

This study examined the effects of various levels of nitrogen inputs (optimal, insufficient and excessive) and water inputs (optimal, low drought and high drought) to tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum) on survival and development of an invasive tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta (Meytick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae). Plant growth i.e. plant height and the number of nodes declined under insufficie...

The leafminer Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) is a major pest of the tomato crop and its development rate is known to decline when nitrogen availability for crop growth is limited. Because N limitation reduces plant primary metabolism but enhances secondary metabolism, one can infer that the slow larval development arises from lower leaf nutritive value and/or higher plant defence. As an attempt to stu...