Situation of Tuta absoluta in France in 2011
In France, Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae – EPPO A2 List) was detected for the first time in Corse and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (EPPO RS 2009/003) in 2008. In 2011, surveys were conducted and showed that the pest occurs in the following regions: Aquitaine, Bretagne, Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse, Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Midi-Pyrénées, Pays-de-la-Loire, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Rhône-Alpes.
Management strategies are being developed to control T. absoluta and include: 1) use of pheromone traps to monitor pest populations; 2) prophylactic measures (e.g. insect-proof screens, soap sprays, destruction of weeds and plant debris, soil solarisation); and 3) curative measures (biological control with Macrolophus pygmaeus and Trichogramma achaeae, bio-insecticides such as Bt and spinosad, mass trapping, insecticide applications).
The situation of Tuta absoluta in France can be described as follows: Present, first found in 2008, occurring in Aquitaine, Bretagne, Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse, Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Midi-Pyrénées, Pays-de-la-Loire, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Rhône-Alpes.
Sources
Tabone E, Thi Khanh HD, Bodendörfer J, Rey F (2012) Contre Tuta absoluta, vive la protection intégrée. Phytoma - La Défense des Végétaux no. 650, 45-47.