Department of Agricultural Biology, 1177 Campus Delivery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.
USDA-APHIS-PPQ-Science & Technology, Identification Technology Program, Fort Collins, CO.
J Econ Entomol. 2020 Jun 6;113(3):1479-1485. doi: 10.1093/jee/toaa040.
The tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick), is a highly destructive pest of tomatoes, causing damage to leaves, stalks, buds, and fruits. Native to South America, T. absoluta is now found throughout Europe, South Asia, Africa, parts of Central America, and the Caribbean. Adults are small, with a wingspan of approximately one cm and lack distinctive markings, making morphological identification difficult. Larvae are also difficult to identify and resemble those of many other gelechiids. Due to the extensive time spent and expertise required for morphological identification, and the imminent threat to the North American tomato crop, we have developed a rapid molecular test for discriminating individual specimens of T. absoluta using a probe-based real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. The assay is able to quickly distinguish T. absoluta from similar-sized moth specimens that are attracted to T. absoluta pheromone lures in the United States and is also able to identify larvae of T. absoluta. Decreased identification time for this critical pest will lead to more rapid identification at ports of entry and allow for more efficient trap screening for domestic monitoring programs.
番茄潜叶蛾，Tuta absoluta（Meyrick），是一种极具破坏性的番茄害虫，会对叶片、茎干、花蕾和果实造成损害。番茄潜叶蛾原产于南美洲，现在已遍布欧洲、南亚、非洲、中美洲部分地区和加勒比海地区。成虫体型较小，翼展约 1 厘米，缺乏明显的斑纹，因此形态学鉴定较为困难。幼虫也难以识别，与许多其他潜叶蛾幼虫相似。由于形态学鉴定需要花费大量时间和专业知识，而且北美番茄作物面临着迫在眉睫的威胁，因此我们开发了一种快速分子测试方法，使用探针实时聚合酶链反应（PCR）检测，对个体番茄潜叶蛾样本进行区分。该检测方法能够快速区分番茄潜叶蛾与美国吸引番茄潜叶蛾性信息素诱捕器的类似大小的飞蛾标本，也能够识别番茄潜叶蛾幼虫。减少对这种关键害虫的鉴定时间，将有助于在入境口岸更快地进行鉴定，并能够更有效地进行国内监测计划的诱捕器筛查。
