Workshop: Tuta absoluta — Meeting the challenge of the tomato leafminer November 26–28, 2013 | VENUE: Intercontinental Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Sponsored by EIAR, IAPPS, USAID, and the IPM Innovation Lab.

Ever since the presence of the invasive tomato leafminer Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) was confirmed in Ethiopia and Sudan, experts have been bracing for substantial crop losses. Now that the leafminer has reached sub-Saharan Africa, there are no natural barriers to its spread across the continent.Because tomatoes play a key role in diversifying the economic and agricultural sectors of many developing countries, this threat to their production cannot be ignored.

Environmentally-friendly control methods include the release of natural parasitoids and predators of T. absoluta. As agricultural practitioners and farmers learn techniques to combat the pest, it is hoped that catastrophic losses may be avoided.

The purpose of this 3-day workshop was to review current knowledge about Tuta absolutaand its spread, as well as methods to control the pest. A visit to a lab and a tomato-growing region in Melkassa provided a valuable learning experience.