Integration of Inherited Sterility and inoculative releases of a Miridae predator for the control of the tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta

Abstract

Abstract Tuta absoluta is one of the most devastating pests of tomato crops worldwide. The Inherited Sterility technique (IS) is an environmentally friendly option to control lepidopteran pests which efficiency is improved when it is combined with other compatible methods, such as biological control (BC). Tupiocoris cucurbitaceus is a predator that can complete its life cycle preying only on T. absoluta eggs from irradiated parental males or untreated parents. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of the integration of T. cucurbitaceus with the IS technique on the suppression of T. absoluta population. Four treatments were carried out into cages in a greenhouse: T1, where untreated T. absoluta adults were released; T2 consisted of the release of irradiated T. absoluta adults in an over flooding ratio of 15:1 (irradiated: untreated adults); T3, release of couples of T. cucurbitaceus; and T4 consisted in the combination of T2 and T3 (IS-BC combination). The number of T. absoluta eggs and larvae in each treatment and the number of T. cucurbitaceus nymphs and adults in T3 and T4 were counted twice a week during 3 generations of T. absoluta. The moth population in T1 was higher than in the other treatments in the three peaks of larval production. The highest population suppression was obtained in T4 respect of the other treatments. The use of T. cucurbitaceus combined with the IS for the control of T. absoluta seems to have potential in view of the results obtained in this work.