Tomatoes affected by Tuta absoluta
Tuta absoluta, or commonly leaf miner has proved to be one of the most destructive tomato pest causing up to 100% crop loss if not effectively controlled. Infestation can occur through the entire cycle of the crop, as the larva, a catarpillar feeds on the leaves immediately it hatches from the eggs laid on the undersides of leaves and fruits by adult moths. As the larva feed on leaves, they form irregular leaf mines which later die sometimes causing the entire leaf to dry and die as well.
The larva affect not only the leaves as both the stems, green fruits and even flowers are attacked.
A tomato crop with leaf mines
To the control measures. I know there are many out there, mostly dominated by chemical methods of using pesticides. But the use of chemicals alone cannot completely control T. Absoluta and save your precious crop as some species of the pest has developed resistance to pesticides. But as a serious farmer you have to combine with other control methods available to effectively control the pest. And some of them are cheap and equally effective.
These include the biological and physical methods. In the biological method you can use parasitoid wasp, tobacco hornworm, hoverfly larva, capsid bugs et cetera by introducing them to your farm where they naturally prey on the larva.
Preparing pheromone traps
The physical method is also one of the cheapest and most effective. Apart from applying measures such as crop rotation with non solanaceae family, proper hygiene by cleaning fields of old crop and maintaining cleanliness around the farm, you can also use traps. Sex pheromone traps that lures male moths and traps them in their numbers helps reduce the pest population and has proved effective. You can use it in combination with Tutasan water traps for mass trapping.
If you can apply these methods from the moment you transplant your tomato crop and maintain it throughout the crop season, then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have a good harvest. I hope this helps.