First Report of Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) in Zambia

In 2014, the NPPO of Zambia, the Plant Quarantine and Phytosanitary Service (PQPS) initiated a pest risk analysis for Tuta absoluta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), the tomato leaf miner. This was after increased reports of the pest spreading southwards in Africa and neighboring Tanzania officially reporting the pest in 2013. By 2014, the pest was reported to occur in Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Sudan, Tunisia, Kenya and Tanzania. By end of 2015, farmers in some districts in Zambia reported pest damage and suspected that it could be T. absoluta. This posed a serious threat to the Zambian tomato industry as tomato is one of the most important vegetable crops in Zambia grown both on a small scale and commercial scale as a cash crop. It accounts for 86% of the total value of fresh fruit and vegetable sales within the smallholder sector for Zambia. For this reason, PQPS initiated a detection surveillance of the pest in reported areas in February 2016. The Zambia preliminary surveys revealed that the pest is present in Northern, Copperbelt, Lusaka and Central Provinces of Zambia. Identification of the pest was confirmed by observing collected adult moths for key taxonomic features; filiform antennae, brown or silverfish with black spots on the moth wings and moth size. Other factors for identification were characteristic damage on leaves and fruits, pheromone traps catches and consultation of international experts in Tanzania. Introduction of T. absoluta to Zambia has devastated the Zambian tomato production industry. A taskforce has been formed to address the threat being caused by T. absoluta. Zambia has also updated its phytosanitary import conditions for tomato since this confirmation and drafted the legislation to regulate movement of tomatoes. Notification for the first report has since been sent to the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). Key words: Tomato, Tuta absoluta, detection surveillance, Zambia