Applying seed treatment as a solution for Tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) management

Considering the high damage caused by the tomato leaf miner moth, Tuta abosulata, in tomato crops, the use of chemical pesticides against this pest is increasing and finding alternative methods that can be combined with chemical control can be effective in the optimal management of this pest. One of these methods is establishing induced resistance in tomato plants by using seed priming before planting. Considering the key role of methyl jasmonate in creating induced resistance in plants, in the present study, tomato seeds (var: Elite) were soaked 24 hours before planting using two concentrations of 0.1 and 0.2 mM methyl jasmonate. Then, in the flowering stage of tomato, the biological and demographic parameters of tomato leaf miner moth were investigated using the age-stage two-sex life table. The results showed that seed priming affected the population parameters including Od, F, r and λ in the flowering stage and their value was lower than the control, also these treatments had a smaller population and the length of their larval period was longer than the control. The prediction of the population progress under seed treatment with methyl jasmonate, during 120 days, showed that all four life stages of the insect will have a smaller population than the control on day 120, which hints the negative effect of the treatments on biological and population characteristics of the herbivore and indicates the induction of resistance on the host plant. As a result, methyl jasmonate can be consider in the integrated management programs of tomato leaf miner moth by plant resistance mechanisms