Contribution à l’étude bioécologique de la mineuse de la tomate Tuta absoluta Meyrick (1917) (Lepidoptera : Gelechiidae) dans la région de Mostaganem

Abstract

Algeria was infested by the tomato minor « Tuta absoluta Meyrick » (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) after Spain in 2007. This insect has been reported on tomato for the first time in the market garden of Mostaganem in the spring of 2008. This invasif and dangerous insect, farmers used the chemical control, the only available means. The usaging polyvalent insecticides did not reduce the populations of pest. In order to better understand the bioecology of this pest, our work consist on raising the insect on tomato in semi-controlled conditions to determine development time at 3 rangs of temperatures ; other parameters such as fertility and longevity are studied. The biological cycle of the different stages of T. absoluta revealed the following results: The development length is of 30 days at 21°C, takes 3 weeks at 27°C and 18 days to 31°C. The duration of the larval stage varies from 11 to 19 days (13 days at 27°C). The nymphal stage takes 10 days at 22 ° C, 8 days at 27 ° C and 7 days at 31°C. The difference is significant at all tested temperatures. The female moth have a longevity of 17 days at 27°C, while males occures in 11.5 days. The fecondity in the experimental conditions varied between females. We founded a meanof (40 – 110) eggs.