Tomato Leafminer - Tuta absoluta

Tuta absoluta is an emerging pest of tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) for Canada. It is recognized around the world as a serious pest of tomato production. This insect originates in South America but, in the past few years it has spread rapidly through countries in the Mediterranean Basin and has more recently become established in greenhouse environments in Northern Europe.

Tuta absoluta is very damaging to tomato plants and damage on tomato fruit makes it unmarketable. Although T. absoluta is a tropical pest and not expected to survive year round in Canada, it is very likely that if a Canadian greenhouse were to become infested, that T. absoluta would successfully spread to surrounding greenhouse operations during the summer months.

Information we provide to the plant industry and scientific community includes:

• Industry Bulletins
  • 2010-06-04 - New U.S. requirements for tomatoes shipped from Canada
  • 2010-02-26 - New requirements for tomatoes entering Canada from countries infested with tomato leafminer
  • 2010-02-16 - New requirements for tomatoes originating from countries infested with tomato leafminer
• Pest Fact Sheet
• Policy Directives
  • D-10-01: General Import Requirements for Fresh Peppers and Tomatoes from the World
  • RMD-10-26: Pest Risk Management Document - Tuta absoluta (tomato leaf miner moth; South American tomato moth)