Efficacy of sulphur on Tuta absoluta and its side effects on the predator Nesidiocoris tenuis

The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick), is one of the major pests of tomato crop. Since its detection in the Mediterranean basin, it has been commonly controlled using chemical insecticides. However, inoculation and conservation of predatory mirids, integrated with sprays of sele...

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Main Authors: Zappala, Lucia, Siscaro, Gaetano, Biondi, Antonio, Mollá-Hernández, Óscar, González-Cabrera, Joel, Urbaneja, Alberto
Format: article
Language:Inglés
Published: 2017
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/4777
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author Zappala, Lucia
Siscaro, Gaetano
Biondi, Antonio
Mollá-Hernández, Óscar
González-Cabrera, Joel
Urbaneja, Alberto
author_browse Biondi, Antonio
González-Cabrera, Joel
Mollá-Hernández, Óscar
Siscaro, Gaetano
Urbaneja, Alberto
Zappala, Lucia
author_facet Zappala, Lucia
Siscaro, Gaetano
Biondi, Antonio
Mollá-Hernández, Óscar
González-Cabrera, Joel
Urbaneja, Alberto
author_sort Zappala, Lucia
collection ReDivia
description The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick), is one of the major pests of tomato crop. Since its detection in the Mediterranean basin, it has been commonly controlled using chemical insecticides. However, inoculation and conservation of predatory mirids, integrated with sprays of selective insecticides, has been demonstrated to be a cost-effective strategy for controlling this pest. In this work, we tested the efficacy of two sulphur formulations, dustable and wettable powder, for controlling T. absoluta on tomato under greenhouse and open-field conditions. In addition, the side effects of both sulphur formulations on the predator, Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter), were evaluated under laboratory conditions. Dustable sulphur, applied weekly on tomato seedlings artificially infested with T. absoluta in greenhouse conditions, significantly reduced the infestation levels and was demonstrated to have a repellent effect on oviposition. Wettable sulphur was not effective for controlling T. absoluta populations in both greenhouse and open-field experim ents. In the side effect trials conducted with N. tenuis, only dustable sulphur resulted in being moderately harmful as a fresh residue and slightly harmful as a 7-day-old residue; no effects were recorded exposing the predator to 14-day-old sulphur residues. In contrast, wettable sulphur was classified as harmless to N. tenuis. Our results suggest that the use of sulphur, especially as dustable powder, could be considered as a tool in T. absoluta management strategies, although its side effects on N. tenuis should be taken into account. The implications of these results for the use of sulphur formulations in pest and disease management programmes in tomato crops are discussed.
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spelling ReDivia47772025-04-25T14:44:23Z Efficacy of sulphur on Tuta absoluta and its side effects on the predator Nesidiocoris tenuis Zappala, Lucia Siscaro, Gaetano Biondi, Antonio Mollá-Hernández, Óscar González-Cabrera, Joel Urbaneja, Alberto The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick), is one of the major pests of tomato crop. Since its detection in the Mediterranean basin, it has been commonly controlled using chemical insecticides. However, inoculation and conservation of predatory mirids, integrated with sprays of selective insecticides, has been demonstrated to be a cost-effective strategy for controlling this pest. In this work, we tested the efficacy of two sulphur formulations, dustable and wettable powder, for controlling T. absoluta on tomato under greenhouse and open-field conditions. In addition, the side effects of both sulphur formulations on the predator, Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter), were evaluated under laboratory conditions. Dustable sulphur, applied weekly on tomato seedlings artificially infested with T. absoluta in greenhouse conditions, significantly reduced the infestation levels and was demonstrated to have a repellent effect on oviposition. Wettable sulphur was not effective for controlling T. absoluta populations in both greenhouse and open-field experim ents. In the side effect trials conducted with N. tenuis, only dustable sulphur resulted in being moderately harmful as a fresh residue and slightly harmful as a 7-day-old residue; no effects were recorded exposing the predator to 14-day-old sulphur residues. In contrast, wettable sulphur was classified as harmless to N. tenuis. Our results suggest that the use of sulphur, especially as dustable powder, could be considered as a tool in T. absoluta management strategies, although its side effects on N. tenuis should be taken into account. The implications of these results for the use of sulphur formulations in pest and disease management programmes in tomato crops are discussed. 2017-06-01T10:10:58Z 2017-06-01T10:10:58Z 2012 JUL 2012 article Zappala, L., Siscaro, G., Biondi, A., Molla, O., Gonzalez-Cabrera, J., Urbaneja, A. (2012). Efficacy of sulphur on Tuta absoluta and its side effects on the predator Nesidiocoris tenuis. Journal of Applied Entomology, 136(6), 401-409. 0931-2048 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/4777 10.1111/j.1439-0418.2011.01662.x en openAccess Impreso
spellingShingle Zappala, Lucia
Siscaro, Gaetano
Biondi, Antonio
Mollá-Hernández, Óscar
González-Cabrera, Joel
Urbaneja, Alberto
Efficacy of sulphur on Tuta absoluta and its side effects on the predator Nesidiocoris tenuis
title Efficacy of sulphur on Tuta absoluta and its side effects on the predator Nesidiocoris tenuis
title_full Efficacy of sulphur on Tuta absoluta and its side effects on the predator Nesidiocoris tenuis
title_fullStr Efficacy of sulphur on Tuta absoluta and its side effects on the predator Nesidiocoris tenuis
title_full_unstemmed Efficacy of sulphur on Tuta absoluta and its side effects on the predator Nesidiocoris tenuis
title_short Efficacy of sulphur on Tuta absoluta and its side effects on the predator Nesidiocoris tenuis
title_sort efficacy of sulphur on tuta absoluta and its side effects on the predator nesidiocoris tenuis
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/4777
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