Ability of Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) to develop on alternative host plant species

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Abstract

The tomato leafminer, Tuta absolutaMeyrick (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), is a widespread devastating pest reported to develop on economically important solanaceous crops. The characterisation of its host range could help to understand and prevent the dispersion behaviour of the insect in the environment. In this study, the ability of T. absolutato develop on 12 cultivated or non-cultivated plants including Solanaceae, Amaranthaceae, Convolvulaceae, Fabaceae, and Malvaceae species under laboratory conditions was assessed. For each plant species, we monitored the development times of immature stages, survival, sex ratios, and adult fecundity rates. All the six tested non-solanaceous plants, including ChenopodiumLinnaeus (Amaranthaceae), ConvolvulusLinnaeus (Convolvulaceae), and MalvaLinnaeus (Malvaceae) species, were not able to sustain ( i.e., allow growth and development) T. absolutalarvae. SolanumLinnaeus (Solanaceae) species were the most suitable host plants for the pest, but others could be opportunistically colonised with fewer incidences. Tuta absolutaappears to be strongly related to solanaceous plants that would predominantly support self-sustaining field populations. Preventing crop infestation by removing potential host plants in the immediate field vicinity and culture rotations with non-solanaceous crops is of primary importance.

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Biological invasion of European tomato crops by Tuta absoluta: ecology, geographic expansion and prospects for biological control

Nicolas Desneux, Eric Wajnberg, Kris A. G. Wyckhuys … (2010)

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Explaining intraspecific diversity in plant secondary metabolites in an ecological context.

Bethany B. Moore, A. Foley, Carsten Külheim … (2014)

Plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) are ubiquitous in plants and play many ecological roles. Each compound can vary in presence and/or quantity, and the composition of the mixture of chemicals can vary, such that chemodiversity can be partitioned within and among individuals. Plant ontogeny and environmental and genetic variation are recognized as sources of chemical variation, but recent advances in understanding the molecular basis of variation may allow the future deployment of isogenic mutants to test the specific adaptive function of variation in PSMs. An important consequence of high intraspecific variation is the capacity to evolve rapidly. It is becoming increasingly clear that trait variance linked to both macro- and micro-environmental variation can also evolve and may respond more strongly to selection than mean trait values. This research, which is in its infancy in plants, highlights what could be a missing piece of the picture of PSM evolution. PSM polymorphisms are probably maintained by multiple selective forces acting across many spatial and temporal scales, but convincing examples that recognize the diversity of plant population structures are rare. We describe how diversity can be inherently beneficial for plants and suggest fruitful avenues for future research to untangle the causes and consequences of intraspecific variation. © 2013 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2013 New Phytologist Trust.