Tomato production threatened in Nigeria- new study

A new report published last week by a team of scientists from Kenya and Nigeria indicates that Tuta Absoluta remains a huge thread to tomato production in the country. The report titled: “Tuta Absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) Invasion in Nigeria: first Report of its Distribution”,   was conducted by entomologists of the International Centre of Insect Physiology […]

A new report published last week by a team of scientists from Kenya and Nigeria indicates that Tuta Absoluta remains a huge thread to tomato production in the country.

The report titled: “Tuta Absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) Invasion in Nigeria: first Report of its Distribution”,   was conducted by entomologists of the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology in Nairobi, Kenya, with scientists of the National Horticultural Research Institute, Ibadan, Nigeria, mapping between March, 2017, and July, 2018, for the distribution of T. Absoluta.

The scientists: Pascal Osa Aigbedion-Atalor, Abiola O. Oke, Abiola A. Oladigbolu, Adejumo A. Layade, Igho B. Igbinosa and Samira A. Mohammed, published their findings in the Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection.

They found out that the South American tomato pinworm, Tuta Absoluta, is a serious invasive specie in Nigeria. Its impact on crop production is well-known, but its distribution in the country is unclear. The survey was conducted in 528 different locations across 11 states in Nigeria and the results were published online on August 17, in the Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection.

The entomologists said, “Results showed that the pest is present and established in all 360 sites surveyed in the northern and South western parts of Nigeria. The implications of these findings are serious as the pest has demonstrated a rapid speed of spread following its arrival in 2015. Furthermore, tomato-dependent livelihoods could be potentially threatened due to the impact of this pest.”