Population growth and life table parameters of leaf miner, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lep.: Gelechiidae) on two varieties of tomato

Tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), is a quarantine pest in Iran that has recently distributed to most parts of the country and become one of the most important and dangerous pests of tomatoes, potatoes and eggplants fields. In this research, development, reproduction and life table parameters of this pest were studied on two varieties of tomato Mobil and Rio grand in laboratory conditions (27±2°C, 60± 5% RH and a photoperiod of 16 L:8hD). Life table data were analyzed using age-stage, two-sex life table theory. The duration of total pre-adultstage of this pest was calculated 20.85±0.301 and 21.4±0.37 days and oviposition period lasted12.81±0.58 and 12.16±0.43 days, on these two varieties of tomato, respectively. Females also laid an average of 210.29±11.24 and 120.95±10.8 eggs, on tomato varieties, respectively. The highest intrinsic rateof increase (r), finite rate of increase (λ), net reproductive rate (R0) and shortest mean generation time (T) were recorded 0.158±0.0058 (d–1), 1.1710±0.0068 (d–1), 73.6.4±10.44 (offspring) and 27.21±0.35 (days) on Mobil variety, respectively. Thus, according to the biological characteristics and life table parameters, the Mobil cultivar was determined more suceptible than Rio grand variety to the population increase of this pest.