Effect of different light spectrums on the capture of tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta (Lep.: Gelechiidae)

Tomato leaf miner moth, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) is a key pest of tomato in the world, which has recently entered Iran and become a serious threat to tomato production. It has several generations per year which increases the risk of insecticidal resistance. A relatively low-cost and low-risk method to control this pest is a light trap for capturing adults. The goal of this research was to find a proper light source for light traps in the laboratory and greenhouse. To collect the adult, infested tomato plants were collected from the greenhouses of the Varamin region and were brought to the growth chamber. In the growth chamber, a completely randomized design with four light traps (green, blue, red, and yellow) was set up, in four treatments and seven replications. For greenhouse comparisons, the sticky light traps (with four lights of blue SMD, blue LED, green, and UV) were evaluated in a completely randomized design with four replications. The highest and lowest mean captures were recorded for the blue light (69.2±0.2) and red light (0.28±0.2) in growth chamber. In the greenhouse, the highest capture was recorded for UV light trap (14.8±0.2), while the mean captures ofthe moths in the other light traps with SMD, LED, and green light were 4.4±0.16, 5.5±1.14, and 7.16±1.2, respectively. The sex ratio of the captured moths in the growth chamber was equal (1:1), whereas the rate of the females was higher in the greenhouses. In conclusion,the traps with UV light can capture a high number of moths; and could be used to reduce the pest population and the pest damages in the greenhouse.