TOMATO LEAF MINER (TUTA ABSOLUTA MEYRICK), THE MAIN PEST OF TOMATO CROP CULTIVATED IN PROTECTED AREAS

Abstract

Tuta absoluta Meyrick is a microlepidopteran known in the scientific literature as the tomato leaf miner. It originates from South America, most likely from Peru, dating back to the 1960s, from where it spread to all continents: in Africa (Morocco and Algeria, 2008), from where it disseminated across the continent, causing catastrophic damage especially in Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, and Egypt, leading to the destruction of tomato crops; in Southeast Asia (2020); in China (2024); in India (2025), and so on. In Europe, the species was accidentally introduced in 2006, in the province of Castellón, Spain, from where it spread very rapidly across the Western Palearctic Region during 2008–2010, being registered as a quarantine pest. In 2009, new invasions of this pest were reported in Greece, Switzerland, Malta, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Croatia, Albania, Bulgaria, France, and Italy, while in 2010 it was identified in Turkey and in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In Romania, the pest was reported for the first time in 2009, in the western part of the country, then in Satu Mare, and it quickly spread to several vegetable growing areas in the country, including Oltenia.