Since 2012, the Center for Agriculture and Bioscience International’s Plantwise program has guided growers in ten Latin American countries in their management. Ivy Absolta (larvae are shown here), is a devastating lepidopteran pest of tomato and replaces or complements chemical control with more sustainable strategies. (Photo credit: Marja van der Straten, NVWA Plant Protection Service, Bugwood.org)
Dr. Yelitza C. Colmenárez, Donna Smith
Lepidoptera pest Ivy Absolta is one of the most devastating herbivorous species in the world, affecting tomato plants and fresh tomatoes, causing high levels of crop production loss, especially if control strategies are not implemented. Ivy AbsoltaThe tomato leafminer, tomato pinworm, or tomato moth—also known as the tomato leafminer, tomato pinworm, or tomato moth—continues to cause crop losses in its native Americas, but more recently, globalization of commerce has forced production in Europe, Asia, and Africa. invading the area. Trade, along with other factors, is believed to be responsible for the increase in invasive species.
Given the T. AbsoltaDue to their economic importance, control strategies have mainly focused on pesticides, which contain a wide range of organic micropollutants that adversely affect the environment, mainly through biomagnification and bioaccumulation. Therefore, more sustainable strategies should be used along with chemical control, including biological control agents such as parasites, predators and entomopathogenic microorganisms. botanical insecticides; pheromones and plant resistance.
In an article published in open access in May 2022 Integrated Pest Management Journal (JIPM), Center for Agriculture and Biosciences International and researchers from several Latin American universities detail case studies on sustainable management efforts. T. Absolta Through CABI’s Plantwise program. (This article’s co-author, Dr. Yelitza C. Colmenárez, is the lead author of the JIPM report.)
Ivy Absolta Management from a Factory Perspective
Plantwise is a CABI-led global program that helps farmers address plant health issues through a national network of established plant clinics in each country where the program is implemented. The clinic is run by a trained botanist, from whom farmers can receive practical advice. During its 10-year run, there were more than 3,700 botanical clinics in 34 countries around the world, where botanical doctors provide advice on all problems and crop diagnosis and management, and provide information on plant pests and diseases affecting crops. Benefiting farmers in need. .
In Latin America and the Caribbean, Plantwise has operations in Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Grenada, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Peru and Trinidad and Tobago.
In Bolivia, plant clinics are considered a standard procedure for increasing the technical capacity of extension workers and farmers, and there is evidence that they have led to improved crop yields and quality. Efforts are being made to conduct botanical clinics in cooperation with key institutions in the country.
All Plantwise member countries have experts in entomology, plant pathology, nematology and acarinology, and various institutions (public universities, ministries of agriculture, and livestock and research institutes) to identify the most important pests. Creates precise advice to deal with some.
Since 2012, the Center for Agriculture and Bioscience International’s Plantwise program has guided growers in ten Latin American countries in their management. Ivy Absolta, a devastating lepidopteran pest of tomato, and an alternative or complement to chemical control with more sustainable strategies. Here, a Bolivian farmer inspects tomatoes as part of his Plantwise training with a botanist who provides diagnostic and management advice. (Photo credit: Yelitza C. Colmenárez, Ph.D.)
Since 2012, the Center for Agriculture and Bioscience International’s Plantwise program has guided growers in ten Latin American countries in their management. Ivy Absolta, a devastating lepidopteran pest of tomato, and an alternative or complement to chemical control with more sustainable strategies. Here, a Bolivian grower examines tomatoes during his Plantwise training with a botanist who provides diagnostic and management advice. (Photo credit: Yelitza C. Colmenárez, Ph.D.)
Since 2012, the Center for Agriculture and Bioscience International’s Plantwise program has guided growers in ten Latin American countries in their management. Ivy Absolta, a devastating lepidopteran pest of tomato, and an alternative or complement to chemical control with more sustainable strategies. Here, at a plant clinic in Bolivia, a plant doctor using the Plantwise program provides diagnostic and management advice. (Photo credit: Yelitza C. Colmenárez, Ph.D.)
Plant clinic allowed researchers to determine plant distribution T. Absolta Identify the tomato cultivars most frequently associated with this pest in Bolivia and Costa Rica. It is found to be most prevalent in the Santa Cruz department, followed by Cochabamba (five regions) in Bolivia, Chuquizaca, Tarija, Tilak, and in Costa Rica from Alajuela state. T. Absolta Eat eight varieties.
in Bolivia, T. Absolta Management recommendations have evolved significantly between 2012 and 2018. When plant clinics were first established, farmers were primarily advised to use chemical controls. However, after 2012, chemical use declined and soon stabilized, reaching levels of 35% he to 49% of recommended treatment. On the other hand, in Bolivia, thanks to the influence and recommendations of herbal clinics, alternative management strategies (e.g., biological, behavioral, and cultural management) have started to increase.
During Plantwise, the technicians who provided this advice to farmers during visits to plant clinics were also trained in Integrated Pest Management (IPM), a more sustainable way to manage key pest populations. was familiar with Recommendations based on cultural management, such as pruning of lower leaves, removal of crop residues and infected fruit, among others, have steadily increased since 2014. 2016 chemical management level. Recommendations for animal behavior control, such as the use of pheromone traps, increased individually from 2014 to 2016 (12% to 15%), but in 2017 and 2018 he ranged from 25% to 27.1%. reached.
Since 2012, the Center for Agriculture and Bioscience International’s Plantwise program has guided growers in ten Latin American countries in their management. Ivy Absolta, a devastating lepidopteran pest of tomato, and an alternative or complement to chemical control with more sustainable strategies. Among such treatments is the use of pheromone traps as shown here for animal behavior control. (Photo credit: Yelitza C. Colmenárez, Ph.D.)
Since 2012, the Center for Agriculture and Bioscience International’s Plantwise program has guided growers in ten Latin American countries in their management. Ivy Absolta, a devastating lepidopteran pest of tomato, and an alternative or complement to chemical control with more sustainable strategies. Among such treatments is the use of pheromone traps as shown here for animal behavior control. (Photo credit: Yelitza C. Colmenárez, Ph.D.)
As demonstrated in Bolivia and Costa Rica, the Plantwise program has transformed the way farmers deal with pests. T. Absoltabased in part on botanist recommendations to replace or complement chemical management with more sustainable strategies.
A positive performance result influences the Extension Advisor’s ability to perform a particular task efficiently and gives confidence to perform similar tasks in the future. Reducing overuse of pesticides in tomatoes and increasing adoption of IPM provided an excellent case study of the importance of field extension specialists in advising growers. It has demonstrated the importance of investing in technology transfer to improve food quality and, from a broader perspective, improve overall quality of life.
The positive results shown through the case studies shared at JIPM should encourage governments to invest more money in these core principles. It is far more efficient than trying to mitigate the consequences associated with pesticide misuse, such as pollution, public health problems, and pest resurgence, among other problems.
Yelitza C. Colmenárez, Ph.D.is Director of the CABI Brazil Center and Regional Coordinator for Plantwise in Latin America and the Caribbean based in Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil. Email: y.colmenarez@cabi.org. Donna Smith Communication Manager at CABI Switzerland.
This article is based on an article originally published on the Plantwise blog. Reprinted with permission.
