University of Guam.

The University of Guam received another round of funding in September under the U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Protection Act for the surveying and monitoring of invasive pests of solanaceous crops that are on USDA’s Priority Pest List for 2021. Solanaceae, or nightshades, are a family of flowering plants that include tomato, eggplant, and chili pepper. As part of the national effort this year, UOG was awarded $38,000 to survey and monitor for two pests: Tuta absoluta, which is a moth and type of leafminer capable of destroying an entire crop, and Ralstonia solanacearum race 3 biovar 2, which is a bacterium, known as a bacterial wilt, that infects through the roots and is deadly to plants.

The work through UOG better prepares the island to manage these invasive species if or when they arrive. "There are certain pathogens and insects that have a reputation of being really bad. These are two of them," said project lead Robert L. Schlub, a researcher and faculty member of UOG Cooperative Extension and Outreach with a doctorate in plant pathology. "They aren’t on Guam, but if they show up, we want to know so we can help get them under control."

European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization.

European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization.

Plant Health Australia.

See also: Pests - Tomato Leaf Miner for more information.

Google.

USDA. APHIS. Plant Protection and Quarantine.

A Federal Order is a legal document issued in response to an emergency when the Administrator of APHIS considers it necessary to take regulatory action to protect agriculture or prevent the entry and establishment into the United States of a pest or disease. Federal Orders are effective immediately and contain the specific regulatory requirements.

Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

CAB International.

See also: Tomato Leafminer Portal

University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.

USDA. APHIS. PPQ. CPHST. Identification Technology Program.

Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. PestNet.

USDA. APHIS. Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey. National Agricultural Pest Information System.

Insecticide Resistance Action Committee.

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (United Kingdom).

See also: Pest and Disease Factsheets for more fact sheets.

University of California. Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program.

See also: Invasive & Exotic Pests for more resources

The tomato leaf miner was originally thought to be native to Central America, but now believed to have originated in Peru. This pest is not yet present in the United States. It may be transported through the fruit trade and it's impact caused yield losses of up to 100% in tomatoes.

CAB International. Invasives Blog.

The environmental tolerances and potential range of the tomato pest Tuta absoluta in Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Central Asia and Australia may have been underestimated according to new research co-authored by CABI scientists. All results from the scientists' research suggests with the greatest certainty that T. absoluta (also known as Phthorimaea absoluta or tomato leafminer) has further to spread globally, particularly in southern and East Asia, Australia and Central America.

Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. Office of Water Resources.

See also: Pest Alerts - Vegetable Pests for more fact sheets

University of California. Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Virginia Tech. IPM Innovation Lab.