Sesame as an Alternative Host Plant to Establish and Retain Predatory Mirids in Open-Field Tomatoes

Abstract

The silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) and the South America tomato pinworm (Tuta absoluta) are two of the most destructive pests of tomato. Open-field tomato production frequently relies on chemical treatments, which has been shown to lead to pesticide resistance. The integration of biological control using predatory mirid bugs is an effective alternative method for managing these pests. However, methods to establish and maintain populations of zoophytophagous mirids are not adequately described. We explored the potential use of two mirids naturally occurring in Florida, Nesidiocoris tenuis and Macrolophus praeclarus. We conducted 6 field experiments over 4 consecutive years to develop a strategy to maintain the mirids. Pre-plant inoculation of tomato plants did not lead to their establishment, likely due to the low prevalence of prey. We explored the use of sesame (Sesamum indicum) to retain the mirids. Intercropping sesame maintained the populations of N. tenuis throughout the duration of the crop. Macrolophus praeclarus never established in any of the open-field experiments. Nesidiocoris tenuis damage was minimal (<1 necrotic ring/plant) and mirid damage was reduced in the presence of sesame. Our results show that intercropping sesame may provide a means to utilize mirids to manage B. tabaci, an established pest, and provide options to tomato growers should T. absoluta invade USA.

Plant diversity as a sustainable strategy for mitigating biotic and abiotic stresses in tomato cultivation

“…The secretion of phenolic compounds, essential oils, and volatile organic compounds helps the companion plants to act as repellents or olfactory barriers. This mechanism can also attract beneficial organisms, to which the companion plants provide additional resources such as food and shelter (Abad et al, 2020;Castillo et al, 2022). Therefore, aromatic plants are commonly selected as companion plants for pest management (Carvalho et al, 2017;Conboy et al, 2019).…”

“…While companion species in intercropping systems offer benefits for controlling soil pests, they sometimes can lead to reduced yields of the main crop due to competition among plants (Tringovska et al, 2015). In such cases, it is essential to conduct studies to identify the minimum population of companion plants that can continue to provide benefits without significantly affecting tomato yield (Castillo et al, 2022).…”