Report of South American tomato moth, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) from Odisha

Abstract

South American tomato moth, Tuta absoluta is one of the major destructive invasive pests globally. Though the pest was reported from India during 2014 and spread to various states including north-eastern states, there was no information regarding its occurrence from the state of Odisha. A survey was carried out in tomato fields and vegetable markets located in and around Bhubaneswar for the incidence of the pest on tomato. Market surveys conducted during last week of October 2018 revealed up to 4.5 per cent of tomato fruits in the vegetable market were damaged by Tuta. The farmers and traders were unaware about this new pest and its damage symptoms, Further surveys about the incidence of this pest and awareness about this pest and its management options are being attempted.