Management of American serpentine leaf miner, Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess) in tomato under protected cultivation

Abstract

The serpentine leaf miner, Liriomyza trifolii, is one of the most destructive invasive pests introduced to India from the American subcontinent during the nineteenth century. For ecofriendly management of Litrifoliithe experiment was conducted at horticulture farm, College of Horticulture, S. D. Agricultural University, Jagudan (Mehsana), Gujarat in the rabi season of 2020-21 and 2021-22. Nine botanical insecticides were tested and among that neem seed kernel extract at 5% was significantly superior and recorded the lowest damage (9.80%) which was statistically at par with tobacco decoction at 2% (10.52%) and azadirachtin at 1500 ppm (11.13%). Similarly, based on the number of mines per three compound leaves, neem seed kernel extract at 5% demonstrated superior efficacy by recording the lowest number of mines (10.59 mines/3 compound leaves). The application of neem seed kernel extract at 5% resulted in the highest tomato fruit yield, harvesting 449.16 q/ha, a result on par with azadirachtin at 1500 ppm (445.83 q/ha) and tobacco decoction at 2% (436.00 q/ha). The incorporation of biopesticides into the management strategy presents a promising avenue for sustainable and environmentally friendly tomato production in protected cultivation systems.