Pest
Tomato Leaf Miner
| Überblick | |
|---|---|
| Latin name | Tuta absoluta |
| Host Plants | Tomato and other nightshade plants such as potatoes, eggplants, sweet peppers, ornamental and wild plants |
| Appearance |
Caterpillar: from hatching to pupation, the color changes from white over greenish to reddish or reddish stripes along the back. In their last stage of development, they have a black stripe behind the head. They grow up to 9 mm in size. Small moth: grey-brown, 5-7 mm long, with a wing span of 10-12 mm |
| Time of Infestation | May to August, in the greenhouse already from March |
Characteristic for the symptoms of tomato leaf miner are the spot-shaped feeding and mines in the leaves. The caterpillars prefer leaves and stems, but can also infest the fruit itself. They only eat the cells inside the leaves and leave the leaf skin intact. If the stems are attacked, it inhibits the growth of the plants and overlying parts die. The caterpillars prefer the green fruits. There, they cause damage by feeding on them, which may lead to an infection of the fruits with fungi and bacteria and then they may rot.
A strong infestation of tuta absoluta leads to complete leaf death as well as to malformation of the whole plant and can result in a total failure of the cultivation.
The adult moths are nocturnal and hide between the leaves during the day. The female moths lay their eggs especially on the underside of the leaves, but also on the stems of the host plant. After hatching, the caterpillars pass through four larval stages with variable coloration, in which they cause immense feeding damage. After a few weeks they pupate in the ground, on the plant in cocoons or in the miner tunnels. In Southern Europe, 10 to 12 generations per year can occur. Depending on the temperature, development lasts about 24 days at 27° C and about 76 days at 14° C.
Monitoring the Development of the Tomato Leaf Miner with TRIPHERON®Traps
The beginning of the flight activity of the moths can be detected by pheromone traps. Pheromone traps intercept the male moths and can thus partially reduce the fertilization of the females and thus the deposit of eggs. They should be hung up from March onwards. At the beginning of the flight activity, the beginning of larval hatching and thus the necessary treatment time can be calculated.
Control of the Tomato Leaf Miner with the Biological InsecticideNeemAzal® -T/S
To control the tomato leaf miner, NeemAzal®-T/S can be applied with a 0.5% treatment solution 7 to 10 days after the first moth has been caught or when the first symptoms (mines) become visible. The treatment should be repeated after 7 or 14 days.
Application Rates
For a plant height up to 50 cm please mix:
- 2 ml NeemAzal®-T/S with 600 – 800 ml water for 10 m²
- 2 L NeemAzal®-T/S with 600 L water per hectare
For a plant height of 50 – 125 cm please mix:
- 2.5 ml NeemAzal®-T/S with 800 ml water for 10 m²
- 2.5 L NeemAzal®-T/S with 800 L water per hectare
For a plant height above 125 cm please mix:
- 3 ml NeemAzal®-T/S with 1 l water for 10 m²
- 3 L NeemAzal®-T/S with 1000 L water per hectare
NeemAzal®-T/S can be obtained from specialist crop protection retailers. Please contact our distribution partners. A certificate of expertise is required.
Our natural insecticide is available for use in the home and garden sector under the brand names of our partners in many garden centers and specialist retailers. Find more information here. hier.