Toxic effect of tomato leaves extract against the leaf miner Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera : Gelechiidae)‎ and the cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera : Noctuidae)‎

Abstract EN

Tomato is one of the most important vegetable crops in Egypt.

The present study aims to evaluate the unused part of the tomato plant, leaves, as a botanical and nontoxic pesticide.

The leaf miner Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) and the cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis (Boisd.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) are the most serious lepidopterous pests on the tomato crop.

Also, these two insect pests have awide host range.

T.

absoluta larvae can cause yield losses of up to 80 - 100% by attacking all parts of tomato crops.

While S.

littoralis is a polyphagous and cosmopolitan pest and it can causes an estimated loss of 25.8 to 100% in crop production.

Due to the problems of chemical pesticides to all organisms and environment, natural control replaced pesticides.

Tomato extract contains many contents of phenolic and flavonoid compounds which were effective in control.

Different concentrations of tomato extract were applied in control of T.

absoluta and S.

littoralis and caused high mortality proportion.

In the present study, LC50 was 606.34 ppm for T.

absoluta and 1161.76 ppm for S.

littoralis.

Although LC50 for T.

absoluta is lower than it in S.

littoralis and is affected highly with the tomato extract, but the extract of tomato leaves as unused part of plant crop and without any cost, so it considered a great botanical pesticide for controlling serious pests as T.

absoluta and S.

littoralis