Initial studies of mating disruption of the tomato moth, Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera : Gelechiidae) using synthetic sex pheromone

The potential of the synthetic major component of T. absoluta (Meyrick) sex pheromone for mating disruption was studied in small plots (0.01 hectares) with fresh-market tomato crop. The effects of the application of the sex p heromone 3E,8Z,11Z-14: Ac (from 0 to 80 g a. i./ha) were assessed on male o rientation to pheromone baited traps, mating in cages and plant damage. The highest levels of interruption in male orientation (60-90%) were found in plots treated with 35 to 50 g/ha of sex pheromone. However, no treatment wi th pheromone was capable of significantly reducing the percentage of mined leaflets or bored fruits or the frequency of mating in cages compared to th e control plots. The failure in mating disruption technique may be attribut ed to the composition of the synthetic pheromone, doses used, high pest pop ulation density, and mated female migration to the area treated.