Sex pheromone traps for monitoring the tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta: Effect of colored traps and field weathering of lure on male captures
Mohamed BRAHAM, Ameni BENDHIEFI and Lassaâd CHTIWI.
Laboratoire d’Entomologie-Ecologie.
Centre Régional de recherche en Horticulture et en Agriculture Biologique
4042. Chott-Mariem. Sousse. Tunisia.
E-mail: braham.mohamed@gmail.com
Abstract:
Field studies were conducted to evaluate the influence of colored pan water traps and aging of pheromone dispenser on the capture of the tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta males in open field tomatoes in two sites (Saheline and Chott-Mariem) in the Centre-East of Tunisia in 2012 and 2013.
Three experiments were setup using colored traps (white, yellow, orange, red and green) in a randomized block design with four replicates under low and high population levels. The first trial lasted from November 2012 to February 2013, the second, between December 2012 and April 2013 and the third during April-May 2013. Results indicate, in all experiments, that there is no significant difference in male capture according to trap color. However, in the third trial, green colored traps captured respectively, more than 5-fold, more than 4-fold, 4-fold and more than 2-fold for red, orange, yellow and white colored traps.
In aging experiments, two sets of 24 pheromone capsules were setup in water traps without water. Pheromone capsules were exposed for one to six weeks by randomly selecting and removing four lures each week and preserving pheromone remaining by storing the capsules in foil at freezing temperature. In April and June 2012, the aged lures plus control were deployed in field and counts of adult males were made twice a week. Results indicate a significant difference between aged lures and control. Fresh lures captured from 2 to 13-more flies than weathered pheromone capsules.
Key words: Tuta absoluta, pheromone, water pan trap, color, aging lure
