article · Plant Breeding
The tomato leaf miner is a major pest affecting tomato production across tropical and subtropical regions. To identify new sources of defence, wild tomato accessions previously recognised for resistance to whiteflies and spider mites were screened for resistance against the leaf miner. Assessments carried out across two research centres evaluated egg counts in choice tests alongside larval mortality and adult emergence in no-choice feeding trials. Solanum galapagense accession VI063177 demonstrated high resistance in both experimental setups. A strong negative correlation linked larval mortality to adult emergence rates. Findings between the testing centres were largely consistent, although Solanum pimpinellifolium accession VI030462 proved susceptible in one location. These findings highlight wild accessions as valuable genetic sources for breeding cultivated tomato varieties resistant to multiple damaging pests.
The tomato leaf miner spreads rapidly and causes severe damage to tomato crops in tropical and subtropical regions. Finding natural resistance in wild tomato relatives provides a foundation for developing hardier crop varieties. This approach supports sustainable pest management by helping farmers protect tomato yields against destructive insects using host plant resistance rather than relying solely on chemical treatments.
This research is at an early, pre-breeding stage that identifies useful genetic material for commercial and public plant breeders. Seed companies and breeding programmes could use the resistant Solanum galapagense accession to develop commercial tomato varieties with natural protection against multiple insect pests. Translating this germplasm into commercial seed products will require crossing, trait introgression, and extensive field trials.
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Abstract The tomato leaf miner ( Tuta absoluta ) is a serious pest of tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ) in the tropics and subtropics. Previous World Vegetable Center studies identified selected accessions of S. galapagense , S. cheesmaniae and S. pimpinellifolium that were resistant to whitefly ( Bemisia tabaci Genn.) and spider mite ( Tetranychus urticae Koch). Here, we evaluated these accessions for resistance to T. absoluta based on the number of eggs from choice bioassays, and larval mortality and adults emerged percentages in no‐choice feeding bioassays at WorldVeg Eastern and Southern Africa (WorldVeg) and the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology ( icipe ). At WorldVeg, S. galapagense VI063177 exhibited high resistance in both choice and no‐choice bioassays. There was strong negative correlation between larval mortality and adults emerged percentages in the no‐choice feeding bioassays. Results from the icipe experiments were consistent with those of the WorldVeg screening, except for S. pimpinellifolium accession VI030462 , which was susceptible at icipe . Tuta absoluta is rapidly spreading and the resistance sources reported here will be valuable in breeding tomato varieties resistant to this insect and others.
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DOI: 10.1111/pbr.12503
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