Integrated pest management of the tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta in greenhouses and tomato fields

Tomato leaf miner moth, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) is one of the most important and key pests of Solanaceae family. The pest larvae feed on all the aerial organs of the host plant, including leaves, stems and fruits, and if the pest population is not controlled, it can lead to the complete destruction of the crop. According to farmers, the main method of the pest, especially in the early years of its invasion, is the use of chemical pesticides. However, the pesticides residue and their adverse effects on the environment are a serious threat to the health of consumers and ecosystems. Currently, establishing the role and place of replacing chemical products with biological control agents can be effective in reducing these risks. In the meantime, extensive studies over the past few decades have revealed that the method of biological control of pests is considered one of the safe methods for living organisms and the environment as well as effective for controlling pests of greenhouse plants. We review the basic research on the biology of T. absoluta in greenhouses conditions and farms and try to propose an integrated pest management program based on agronomic, biochemical, biological and chemical solutions. A discussion is presented on the methods of using biological control agents such as parasitoids, predators, nematodes and microbial and their individual and combined efficiency of natural enemies and Bt bacteria in tomato fields and greenhouses integrated with other environmentally compatible solutions over quality and healthy crop production.