Behavioral Responses of Tuta absoluta natural enemies to Volatiles from Cultivated and Wild Tomato Plants Inoculated with Rhizobacteria

• Grant number: 25/01222-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: March 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Plant Health
• Principal Investigator: José Maurício Simões Bento
• Grantee: Heloisa Aversa Gutierrez
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 24/15548-6 - Chemical and molecular ecology in the study of multitrophic interactions for the management of Tomato Leafminer, AP.PFPMCG.TEM

Abstract

One of the main pests affecting tomato crops, causing severe defoliation and economic losses, is the tomato leafminer (Tuta absoluta). Tuta absoluta has been difficult to control using conventional chemical methods, prompting the search for alternative control strategies. Among these alternatives are the use of natural enemies, such as the egg parasitoid Trichogramma pretiosum, and the metabolic alteration of plants through the application of bacteria like Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. This project aims to analyze the response of the parasitoid T. pretiosum to volatiles emitted by tomato plants (both cultivated and wild) inoculated with the rhizobacterium B. amyloliquefaciens, contributing to the development of alternative methods for controlling T. absoluta.