First report of Tuta absoluta in China
Considering the risks posed by Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae - EPPO A2 List) to tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) production, surveys have been conducted in China since 2014, and in 2017 the pest was detected for the first time in Xinjiang province. In August 2017, male adult specimens of T. absoluta were caught in pheromone traps in Huocheng county (Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture), and leaf mines were observed in household tomato crops. Further investigations in 2017 detected T. absoluta at 4 locations in the same county on tomato, as well as on aubergine (S. melongena), potato (S. tuberosum) and black nightshade (S. nigrum). In surveyed tomato fields, T. absoluta infested 100% of the plants. It is concluded that further studies are required to better understand its distribution, host plants, natural enemies, population dynamics and to develop management measures against T. absoluta to prevent its further spread in China.
The situation of Tuta absoluta in China can be described as follows: Present, only in some areas (first found in 2017 in several localities in Xinjiang province).
Sources
Zhang GF, Ma DY, Wang YS, Gao YH, Liu WX, Zhang R, Fu WJ, Xian XQ, Xang J, Kuang M, Wan FH (2020) First report of the South American tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick), in China. Journal of Integrative Agriculture 19(7), 1912–1917.