Management of Serpentine leaf miner (Liriomyza trifolii) in Tomato

Vegetables are very important for human life as they provide nutrition to the human body. In India, more than 70 types of vegetables are cultivated, of which tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum, Mill) is one of the most popular and widely grown vegetables. More than a hundred different insect pests have been recorded on tomato crops. American serpentine leaf miner, Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess) is a serious pest of tomato crop and is polyphagous in nature. In India, serpentine leaf miner was recorded on 70 host plants covering fiber crops, pulses, vegetables, ornamentals, green manures, fodder crops etc. About 30 to 40 per cent damage was noticed in tomato crop. Due to increased host range and injudicious use of synthetic insecticides, leaf miner has developed resistance and became difficult in managing the pest. Hence, the study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of newer insecticides and botanicals viz., fipronil 0.3G, chlorantraniliprole 18.5SC, Diafenthiuron 50WP, Spinosad 45SC, imidacloprid 70WG, NSKE 4% and Multineem 5% were tested against L. trifolii in tomato. Diafenthiuron 50WP was found to be effective in controlling the leaf miner with 2.55 live mines per five leaves.