Natural Enemies of Tuta absoluta in Kassala State,

Mohammed E. E. Mahmoud

Kassala and Gash Research Station ARC, Sudan An area of 36,710 km² 1,400,000 (2000)

Rain fed Horticultural (wells) ground water

Spate irrigated Cultivated areas and production of Solanacious crops in Kassala State Seasons 2010‐2011 and 2011‐2012

700

600

500

400 Tomato 300 Eggplant Potato 200

100

0 Area 2010‐2011 Production 2010‐ Area 2011‐2012 Production 2011‐ (1000 fedan 2011 (Ton) (1000 fedan) 2012 (Ton)

Department of Agricultural Statistics Ministry of Agric

Fedan= 4200sm

Start from summer of 2011

Farmers applied several insecticides from different groups even the already banded one (DDT, Gamaxine, etcetra

100% loss reported in 2013 Raising awareness

Testing chemicals Proclaim 75g/fed On going Testing of : Vertemic 225ml/fed Icaros 114ml/fed activities •Pheromones Tracer 112ml/fed •Genotypes

Searching for natural enemies Parasitoids Monitored Gammam areas

Elgurashi Dabalawait

Mastoura Um-rahaw

Mastoura, Gamam 4 locations, Dabalawait, Abdelrahaman Um-rahaw and Elgurashi In each area, leaves of tomato showing symptoms of infestation by Tuta absoluta larvae were taken to laboratory at Kassala & Gash Research Station during November, December, 2012 and January, February, March and April of 2013.

Predators were collected by hand picking, using small tubes and aspirator. In the lab, infested leaves were placed inside transparent glass bottels covered with muslin cloth to allow ventilation and left up to the emergence of parasitoids.

Emerged parasitoids in rearing cages and predators that caught using aspirator were preserved in 70% alcohol and sent to Natural History Museum (NHM) UK for identification. Larvae of parasitoid

Parasitized Larva of Tuta Braconidae: Hymenoptera Bracon (Habrobracon) concolorans (Marshall, 1900) Habrobracon (or Bracon) nigricans.

Europe, Iran, Russia, Turkey, Tunisia and Jordon

Bracon (Habrobracon) hebetor Say (Braconidae: Hymenoptera) In Sudan Bracon ? hancocki Wilkinson 1927, Bracon beneficentior Viereck 1911, Bracon hebetor Say 1836 and Bracon kirkpatriki Wilkinson 1927 were found in the list of the insect museum of ARC.

Bracon spp were found associated with the following insects :

Ernobius nigrinus Sturm (Coleoptera: Anobiidae) and several micro‐Lepidoptera species: Cnephasia sedana (Constant), Cydia strobilella (L.) (Tortricidae), Ephestia terebrellum Zeller, Etiellaz inckenella (Treitschke), Loxostege sticticalis (L.) (Pyralidae) Pexicopia malvella Hubner. (Gelichiidae) (Loni, Rossi et al. 2011) A parasitoid of many pests Neochrysocharis formosa (Westwood) [= Closterocerus formosus (Westwood)] (Hymenoptera Eulophidae)

Generalist parasitoid with a cosmopolitan distribution . Larval endoparasitoid of a wide range of leafmining or stemboring Coleoptera, Diptera and Lepidoptera associated to various cultivated and spontaneous plants Egg parasitoid From (Eurytomidae) Nesidiocoris tenuis (Nesibug) Miridae: Hemiptera All mobile stages of Nesidiocoris tenuis are voracious predators

Larva of T. absoluta preyed by N. tenuis Reported in Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Israel and Korea (Molla etal., 2012)

In Sudan reported form different parts of the country:

Karary, Almahas Kutrang, Shambat in State.

Hantoub, Fadasi, Wadbalal in State.

 Mastoura, Gamam, Dabalawait, Sheikh Abdelrahman, Wad-Elgurashi and Um- Rahaw on the east bank of River Atbara in Kassala State

Macrolophus sp (Hemiptera: Miridae)

A predatory bug feed on egg and larval stages of T. absoluta Birds Spiders Comprehensive surveys should be conducted in all round Sudan in-order to identify other NE.

The effectiveness of theses parasitoids on controlling Tuta absoluta should be studied.

Looking for mass rearing and releasing techniques of these indigenous natural enemies after testing will be better than introduction of exotic ones that may need time to be established or they may not success. Thanks