The tomato leaf miner Tuta absoluta (Povolny) is the most damaging pest of tomatoes in South America. In 2006 the pest was introduced by accident
in Spain and since then it has invaded many countries in South Europe and the Mediterranean region. In 2009 there were official reports for new invasions from
Greece, Switzerland, Malta, Portugal, Albania, France, Italy, Libya and countries from the Gulf region – Bahrain and Kuwait. In Bulgaria the National Service of
Plant Protection (NSPP) undertook a national survey for the detection of the tomato leaf miner using pheromone traps. On 16 October 2009 an official
statement was published on the website of NSPP for the presence of the tomato leaf miner in several glasshouses and in the field in South Bulgaria. At a
glasshouse with tomatoes near Plovdiv we observed a severe infestation by the pest which has rapidly spread after the last treatment with pesticides at the end
of August. The leaves were the most heavily damaged plant parts with an average of 9.42 and 8.75 mines per leaflet on the middle and upper layer of the canopy
resp., followed by the fruits. No damage on the stems was observed. Description of the pest stages, behavior, monitoring, prevention and control of the pest are
discussed.
Tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta (Povolny) (Lepidoptera: gelechiidae) – first record in Bulgaria
V. Harizanova, A. Stoeva, M. Mohamedova