Parasitic insects and mites as potential biocontrol agents for a devastative pest of tomato, Tuta absoluta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) in the world: a review

The tomato leafminer Tuta absoluta is extremely difficult to control using chemical insecticides because larvae mine within plant tissue and are thus protected at least from contact insecticides, but also because of its ability to develop resistance to insecticides makes its control quite challenging. Thus, parasitoids are a very important component of the natural enemy complex of T. absoluta and have been the most common type of natural enemies introduced for biological control of it. In the present review, the importance of different egg-, larval- and pupal-parasitoids, belonging to several insect orders and families, as well as some Pyemotidae mites, was discussed. Research efforts and application works for biocontrol of T. absoluta in European, North African and Middle East countries, as well as the native home, South American countries, had been reviewed. Some considerations were presented, such as the parasitism mechanisms, factors affecting the parasitic efficiency, interference or interaction between parasitoids and some other natural enemies, side-effects of synthetic and botanical pesticides on parasitoids and conservation of indigenous natural parasitoids of T. absoluta.