Popülation Monitoring of Tuta absoluta (Meyrick, 1917) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) on Different Tomato Varieties in Open Field Cultivation in Mersin

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study was conducted determine the damages of T. absoluta population on three different tomato varieties (Elibol, Süper Lapçin and No: 14397) planted on land at Kale village location of Mezitli district in Mersin province. It was observed during the study that T. absoluta made the most damage on the tomato leaves at Elibol variety; and the least damage on No: 14397 tomato variety; in terms of the damage on the stem, the damage on No:14397 displayed more damage compared to Elibol and Süper Lapçin. At the beginning, Elibol variety was observed to be damaged more than the other varieties; however, the damage on all varieties reached the same level in time. The damage on the leaves, stem and the fruit in 2016 was more for Elibol variety compared to Süper Lapçin. The number of the adult T. absoluta caught on Delta traps in 2015 as per plant for tomato varieties was 16.02 for Elibol variety; 15.46 for Süper Lapçin and 14.94 for No: 14397 variety. However, in 2016 the average numbers were 6.43 for Elibol variety and 4.87 for Süper Lapçin variety. No statistically significant difference was found in total leaf, stem and fruit with one-way analysis of variance between cultivars (P>0.05).