EFFICIENCY OF SOME PARASITOIDS IN EGGS AND LARVAE OF TOMATO LEAF BORER Tuta absoluta (Meyrick)(Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) IN LABORATORY

Abstract

The tomato leaf borer Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) is considered as a devastating pest of tomato crop in both fields and greenhouses, infesting all parts of plant except roots during all growth stages causing qualitative and quantitative loses in the yield. Results of laboratory studies showed that the egg parasitoid Trichogramma pintoi was superior being parasitism rate was 73.92%, while it was 60.12 and 55.46% for T. principium and T. evanescens , respectively. The results also showed that the larval parasitoid Habrobracon concolorans was very effective causing killing of 92.5 % of host, while percent of parasitism by Bracon hebetor and B. brevicornis were 17.5 and 10.0%, respectively.