Insects and Diseases Damaging Tomato Fruits in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina1

Abstract

Direct insect- and disease-induced fruit losses on processing tomatoes were studied in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina by following cohorts of fruit weekly between fruit set and harvest. During both years of the study, insect-induced losses were greater in late-planted than in early-planted tomatoes. Heliothis zea (Boddie) and Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) were the most damaging insects. Other insects damaging the fruits included Euschistus servus (Say), Acrosternum hilare (Say), Spodoptera ornithogalli (Guenée) and Manduca spp. Numerous diseases directly affecting the fruits caused substantial reductions in yield. The pathogens causing the greatest fruit losses were Colletotrichum spp., Alternaria spp., Sclerotium rolfsii (Sacc.) and Septoria lycopersici Speg.