Brazil: High temperatures and tomato moth

Tuta absoluta or tomato moth, if not treated correctly, can cause losses of up to 100% in crops, especially in the driest months of the year, in the main tomato-producing regions of the country. Prevention and efficient management are essential to combat the disease. Because of the rain, according to professor Regiane Cristina de Oliveira, from the São Paulo State University (Unesp), Department of Plant Protection, it almost disappears. "The drops of water that drop the eggs, larvae and pupae, reducing the insect's multiplication potential", he explains. The high temperature also provides favorable conditions to accelerate the life cycle and increase the intensity of the attack, completes the doctoral student in plant protection, Alessandro Bandeira Dalbianco. The attacks cause concern in the field, especially in view of the difficulty of handling Tuta absoluta, since each adult female can lay up to 100 eggs throughout her life. To avoid these scenarios, experts ...