Scientists in west central India recently discovered the invasive tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta, in tomato fields. The devastating insect, a tiny moth no bigger than an eyelash, is now poised to strike tomato fields across India.
But thanks to an IPM Innovation Lab-sponsored workshop, scientists are hopeful they may get a jump on controlling the pest.
Dr. K.P. Jayanth, vice president of Bio-Control Research Laboratories in Mumbai, credits a workshop the IPM Innovation Lab sponsored on the insect last fall in Addis Ababa with alerting Indian scientists to be prepared for the threat. “Thanks to [the IPM Innovation Lab’s] foresight and efforts, we are now ready to face the challenge.”
Tomato leafminer discovered in India