First report of South American tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) from Madhya Pradesh, India

Abstract

Tuta absoluta an invasive pest native to South America is economically serious threat to tomato and other solanaceous crops. This pest was first reported from Karnataka in 2014 and later its spread was recorded across the various states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Delhi, Chhattisgarh. During regular field survey, this pest was observed for the first time from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh during January-April, 2017. Extent of damage and biology of T. absoluta are discussed in this paper.