First record of South American tomato moth, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) in Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

The South American tomato moth (SATM), Tuta absoluta is a quarantine pest, native to South America which was detected first time in Maharastra, India in late 2014 and then in Karnataka.The border district of Tamil Nadu was under vigil to monitor the activity through regular surveillance from March 2015 to know the presence of SATM in Dharmapuri district and the occurrence of T. absoluta was first noticed in Karimangalam block in the tomato hybrid Sivam. The widely cultivated tomato hybrids Sivam and Sagar were equally susceptible to the SATM with 20-32 per cent leaf damage and 28 - 53 per cent fruit damage. The sex pheromone traps attracted more number of adults per day. The damage was mostly found in the middle and lower leaves and half ripened and ripened fruits. In a single fruit 8-12 holes were noticed during the survey. This is the first report of this pest in Tamil Nadu. Main characteristics of the species are briefly reviewed, with notes on biology, distribution and damage.