Pest Of Tomato Research Articles

Two in one: the neotropical mirid predator Macrolophus basicornis increases pest control by feeding on plants.

Plant defenses activated by European zoophytophagous predators trigger behavioral responses in arthropods, benefiting pest management. However, repellence or attraction of pests and beneficial insects seems to be species-specific. In the neotropical region, the mirid predator Macrolophus basicornis has proved to be a promising biological control agent of important tomato pests; nevertheless, the benefits of its phytophagous behavior have never been explored. Therefore, we investigated if M. basicornis phytophagy activates tomato plant defenses and the consequences for herbivores and natural enemies. Regardless of the induction period of M. basicornis on tomato plants, Tuta absoluta females showed no preference for the odors emitted by induced or control plants. However, Tuta absoluta oviposited less on plants induced by M. basicornis for 72 h than on control plants. In contrast, induced plants repelled Bemisia tabaci females, and the number of eggs laid was reduced. Although females of Trichogramma pretiosum showed no preference between mirid-induced or control plants, we observed high attraction of the parasitoid Encarsia inaron and conspecifics to plants induced by M. basicornis. While the mirid-induced plants down-regulated the expression of genes involving the salicylic acid (SA) pathway over time, the genes related to the jasmonic acid (JA) pathway were up-regulated, increasing emissions of fatty-acid derivatives and terpenes, which might have influenced the arthropods' host/prey choices. Based on both the molecular and behavioral findings, our results indicated that in addition to predation, M. basicornis benefits tomato plant resistance indirectly through its phytophagy. This study is a starting point to pave the way for a novel and sustainable pest-management strategy in the neotropical region. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Use of UV-LED light to enhance establishment of Nesidiocoris tenuis for control of Bemisia tabaci infesting greenhouse tomato

Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is a major pest of greenhouse tomato and Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Miridae) is an effective predator of this whitefly. Previously, we found that 385 nm LED lighting improved the predatory performance of N. tenuis on B. tabaci under laboratory conditions, ostensibly via mutual attraction of bugs and whiteflies to this wavelength, and improved aggregation of both insects around the light sources. Here we verified that LED lighting at 385 nm enhances the establishment of N. tenuis releases on tomato plants infested with B. tabaci under greenhouse conditions. In the first trial, conducted May-July, both whiteflies and predators were released three times; whitefly densities were not affected by LED lighting when predators were absent, but ended the experiment at lower densities when N. tenuis releases were combined with LED lighting than when they were not. In a second trial, conducted September-November under cooler conditions, a single whitefly release established an infestation and was followed by a single release of N. tenuis in two treatments, with and without LED. The LED lighting treatment maintained lower whitefly densities over a two month period in the crop, and higher densities of predators, than the predators-only treatment. Therefore, possible applications of short wavelength LED lighting to enhance N. tenuis augmentation programs in greenhouse settings appear worthy of further evaluation.

PM 7/53 (2) Liriomyza spp.

PM 7/53 (2) <i>Liriomyza</i> spp.

Nesidiocoris tenuis in Burkina Faso: Distribution, predatory capacity and insecticide sensibility

AbstractTuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is a worldwide invasive insect species, considered a major pest of tomato. It has recently established in Burkina Faso, where chemical control remains the only affordable option to limit damages. Nesidiocoris tenuis (Hemiptera: Miridae) is commercialized as a biological agent to control this pest in other parts of the world. But very limited information exists on this predator in Burkina Faso. In this study, we first performed an insect survey in all agricultural regions areas of the country, and we found N. tenuis to be widely observed in all of them. Then, we performed two laboratory bioassays and demonstrated that all instars preyed on T. absoluta eggs, whether they were fed ad libitum or they had to actively forage for their prey. Because insecticide tolerant populations of T. absoluta were recently identified, we finally aimed at identifying agrochemicals that do not harm N. tenuis. We evaluated the toxicity of two synthetic insecticides, three bio‐bacterial insecticides and eight plant extracts, all being active ingredients available on the local market. Most of them (i.e., abamectin, emamectin benzoate, spinosad, spinetoram) were highly toxic for both T. absoluta and N. tenuis. In contrast, Bacillus thuringiensis var. Kurstaki, neem oil, Cleome viscosa (Asian spiderflower), Ocimum basilicum (Basil) and Cassia occidentalis (Coffee senna) were compatible with N. tenuis while still controlling T. absoluta. Based on our results, we recommend the application of Bacillus thuringiensis to both control T. absoluta and which does not compromise the maintenance of N. tenuis populations.

Optimized deep residual network system for diagnosing tomato pests

• An effective method for the diagnosis of tomato pests was proposed. • Improved FOA was proposed to optimize the parameter of ResNet50. • The improved FOA was validated on the benchmark functions against other peers. • Experimental results showed the proposed model has ability to diagnose pests. Tomato production is often threatened by the bites of several pests (mainly whiteflies and cotton bollworms). Pests exist throughout the tomato growing season, and it is necessary to detect and prevent these stubborn pests in time to reduce the economic losses caused by pests. Deep learning has been widely used to identify plant diseases and insect pests in recent years. The performance of the deep learning model is greatly affected by the network structure and hyperparameters, especially for hyperparameters, which often require manual participation in selection. To obtain suitable hyperparameters, this paper improves the fruit fly optimization algorithm and uses the improved algorithm to optimize the learning rate of the deep network. The experimental results show that the improved fruit fly optimization algorithm can search for a better learning rate. Among the 6 networks participating in the experiment, IResNet50 has an average diagnostic accuracy of 94.4% for seven tomato pests, which is better than other models.

Machine learning-based approaches for tomato pest classification

Insect pests are posing a significant threat to agricultural production. They live in different places like fruits, vegetables, flowers, and grains. It impacts plant growth and causes damage to crop yields. We presented an automatic detection and classification of tomato pests using image processing with machine learning-based approaches. In our work, we considered texture features of pest images extracted by feature extraction algorithms like gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM), local binary pattern (LBP), histogram of oriented gradient (HOG), and speeded up robust features (SURF). The three standard classification methods, including support vector machine (SVM), k-nearest neighbour (k-NN), and decision tree (DT) are used for classification operation. The three classifiers have undergone a comprehensive analysis to present which classifier with which feature yields the best accuracy. The experiment results showed that the SVM classifier's precision using the feature extracted by local binary patterns (LBP) algorithm achieves the highest value of 81.02%. MATLAB software used for feature extraction and waikato environment for knowledge analysis (WEKA) graphical user interface for classification.

Insect resistance management facing African smallholder farmers under climate change.

Changes in climatic conditions affect pest populations and ultimately result in increased pest status and yield losses. While pesticide application is usually the first defensive tool used to control pest species that threaten crop production, genetically modified (GM) crops with insecticidal traits (Bt crops) are becoming more common. The indiscriminate and over use of insecticides, and absence of insect resistance management (IRM) strategies ultimately lead to evolution of resistance against these technologies. IRM faces significant challenges in the African context. In this paper we use examples of cotton, maize, cowpea and tomato pests to illustrate their potential to evolve resistance to insecticides and also highlight the importance of IRM strategies, both with regard to the use of pesticides and the cultivation of Bt cotton, Bt maize and Bt cowpea.

Repellency Potential of Tomato Herbivore-Induced Volatiles Against the Greenhouse Whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae).

The greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurode vaporariorum, is among the key pests of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) in sub-Saharan Africa with Tuta absoluta, spider mite, thrips, and fruitworms. To understand the interaction between the pest and the plant's herbivory-induced plant volatile (HIPVs), we investigated the repellency of four tomato cultivars (Kilele F1, Assila F1, Red Beauty F1, and Nemonneta F1) upon infestation by Trialeurode vaporariorum. We analyzed the behavioral response of T. vaporariorum to infested and uninfested tomato plants of these cultivars using olfactory bioassays followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses of emitted volatiles. Trialeurode vaporariorum was attracted to uninfested plants of all four tomato cultivars. However, two cultivars Kilele F1 and Red Beauty F1 were no longer attractive to the whitefly when they were already infested by the pest. GC-MS analyses identified 25 compounds, 18 monoterpenes, 3 sesquiterpenes, 2 xylenes, 1 aldehyde, and 1 carboxylic compound in the 4 uninfested and infested cultivars. Based on the insects' behavioral response, 1,8-cineole, p-cymene, and limonene did not attract T. vaporariorum at varying concentrations when combined with Red Beauty F1, the most attractive tomato cultivar. This repellence behavioral response can be used as a basis for improvement of other vegetable crops for the management of arthropod pests as for odor masking technique.

Odor learning improves efficacy of egg parasitoids as biocontrol agents against Tuta absoluta

Trichogramma spp. (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) are generalist egg parasitoids widely used as biological control agents, yet with limited efficacy against Tuta absoluta (Meyrick; Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), a key pest of tomato. Olfactory cues related to the host-plant complex influence the searching behavior in parasitoids. Studies have shown that female Trichogramma spp. can learn odor cues affecting their preference. We assessed if learning increases the response to tomato odor and whether it improves the parasitism rate of Trichogramma achaeae, Trichogramma evanescens, and Trichogramma dendrolimi. The parasitoids were either naive, reared for one generation on T. absoluta eggs, or conditioned associatively with an oviposition experience on a factitious host in the presence of tomato odor. Subsequently, their arrestment response (searching time) to T. absoluta-infested tomato leaves was observed in a static four-chamber olfactometer. Rearing the parasitoids on T. absoluta increased the arrestment time of T. dendrolimi strongly and that of T. evanescens slightly but not that of T. achaeae. In contrast, oviposition experience on a factitious host with the tomato odor (leaves or extract) increased the searching time of T. achaeae and T. evanescens strongly but did not improve the response of T. dendrolimi. Concerning parasitism improvement, only T. achaeae showed an increased parasitism rate after associative learning. Hence, the learning capacity of T. achaeae should be further explored to improve its biological control efficacy against T. absoluta.

Dicyphus predatory bugs pre-established on tomato plants reduce Nesidiocoris tenuis population growth

Generalist predators are increasingly used in biological pest control for greenhouse crops, as they control multiple pests and persist in crops even when prey is scarce. However, some of these predators may cause plant damage due to their omnivorous feeding behaviour. In many European regions, the omnivorous predator Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Miridae) is considered to be a serious tomato pest, regardless of the biological control services it offers, and integrated pest management (IPM) strategies are based instead on Macrolophus pygmaeus (Rambur). However, as N. tenuis may competitively displace M. pygmaeus and cause severe damage, growers often resort to pesticide use, disrupting their biological control practice. In this study, we evaluated the competitive interactions of three mirid predators, Dicyphus errans Wolff, Dicyphus bolivari Lindberg, and Dicyphus cerastii Wagner, with N. tenuis. The results showed that pre-establishment of heterospecific mirid species can successfully suppress N. tenuis in the greenhouse; population growth was reduced by more than 90% compared to plants without competing predators. Further laboratory trials revealed reciprocal intraguild predation between these species in the absence of extraguild prey. Dicyphus adults predated on N. tenuis nymphs, while this was not found for M. pygmaeus. In olfactometer bioassays, N. tenuis females preferred plants previously exposed to heterospecifics but not conspecifics, suggesting that this mirid does not avoid competition. These results suggest that the three Dicyphus species could be interesting candidates for preventive releases in tomato crops due to their ability to effectively suppress N. tenuis population growth.

Environmentally Friendly Approach of Controlling Insect Pests in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

Experiments were conducted at the Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania, located at latitude 06'50'S', longitude 37'39'E and 526 m above the sea level during the short and long rainy seasons December 2016 and March 2017 and was repeated December 2018 and March 2019. Bio-pesticides were applied at interval of 2 nd , 3 rd , 4 th and 5 th week after transplanting. The field was characterized by sandy loam soil with a pH of 5.16 and annual rainfall ranging from 750 to 1050 mm. During the season the temperature ranged from 26 0 C to 32 0 C. The experiment was carried under Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications and three bio-pesticides as treatments (Castor oil plant, Garlic, Ginger and the Control). The crop was spaced at 90 cm x 60 cm and each plot sized with area of 13.5 m 2 had three rows and six plants per row. The objectives of the study were to determine the most significant pest species affecting the crop and test for the efficacy of selected bio-pesticides in controlling the observed insect pests on tomato crop. Obtained results suggested that whiteflies ( Bemisia tabaci ) were the most abundant pest followed by Aphids ( Aphis gossypii ) while Tuta absoluta and Leaf miners ( Liriomyza trifolii ) were the least abundant. Garlic, castor oils, and ginger significantly (P&lt;0.05) suppressed the pest population. This study suggests that 25% of tomato yield loss was much influenced by insect pests and organic protectants have potential to grossly minimize pest problems to allow the realization of substantial yield and conserve the environment. Keywords: Bio-pesticides; Insect pests; Tomato; Yield. DOI: 10.7176/JEES/12-2-02 Publication date: February 28 th 2022

Comparative efficacy of two bio-insecticides in the fight against Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner, 1808) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) pest of crops

Among the tomato pests, Helicoverpa armigera causes significant damage to the crop. Chemical control is the most commonly used method against this pest and is becoming less and less effective. In order to find out an alternative, a formulation of Helicoverpa armigera nucleopolyhdrovirus (HearNPV) of 0.15% was compared to a 2% neem extract product in the laboratory to assess its potential role as a bio-insecticide on the pest. The formulations were tested on stage 2 (L2) larvae up to stage 5 (L5). Results showed 100% mortality with HearNPV formulation compared to 71.48% with neem formulation with a highly significant difference (p-0.0001) 6 days after treatment in L2/L3 larvae and 87.92% versus 70.74% 15 days after treatment in L4/L5 larvae. An average lethal time (LT50) that varies from treatment to treatment has been observed in L4/L5. This TL50 is reduced in L2/L3 and is shorter with neem. These results show that HearNPV formulation appears to be more effective than neem formulation with faster action on young larvae.

Life history parameters and predation capacities of Nesidiocoris volucer: a new biological control agent for tomato crop.

Whiteflies are one of the major pests of tomato under greenhouses, and their control partly relies on biocontrol strategies. Among those biocontrol agents, parasitoids or predators are widely used. However, the introduction of a biocontrol agent in a new area is not trivial. For that reason, we investigated the use of a tropical native mirid, Nesidiocoris volucer (Hemiptera: Miridae), for the biological control of whiteflies among other insect pests on tomato crops under greenhouses in the subtropical island of La Réunion, France. Nesidiocoris volucer life history traits and plant injury were examined. Nymphs developed and survived between 15 and 30°C and required on average 49.41 days at 15°C and on average 10.50 days at 30°C to develop (nymph survival >94%). At 25°C, each female produced on average 65 eggs. Nesidiocoris volucer was able to feed on several prey species, but performed better on whiteflies than on spider mites or thrips. No N. volucer feeding injury was observed on tomato. Nesidiocoris volucer has also been found in tropical countries of Africa, and we believe that the data presented on this natural enemy could be of great importance for the biocontrol of whiteflies in tropical areas.

Tanggap fungsional predator Menochilus sexmaculatus (Fabricius) dan Micraspis lineata (Thunberg) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) terhadap kutukebul Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) dan kutudaun Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Kutukebul Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) dan kutudaun Myzus persicae (Sulzer) merupakan hama penting pada tanaman tomat dan cabai. Serangan hama ini secara langsung dan sebagai vektor virus dapat menurunkan produksi tanaman. Kumbang Menochilus sexmaculatus (Fabricius) dan Micraspis lineata (Thunberg) merupakan predator kutukebul B. tabaci dan kutudaun M. persicae. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui potensi kumbang predator M. sexmaculatus dan M. lineata terhadap kutukebul B. tabaci dan kutudaun M. persicae. Rancangan penelitian berupa acak lengkap faktorial menggunakan 2 faktor, yaitu jenis mangsa dan kerapatan mangsa dengan 3 ulangan. Pada penelitian ini, potensi pemangsaan kumbang predator dilakukan dengan mengamati uji pemangsaan dan tanggap fungsional. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa predator M. sexmaculatus dan M. lineata memiliki tanggap fungsional tipe I pada semua jenis mangsa, artinya laju dan kemampuan pemangsaan predator M. sexmaculatus dan M. lineata meningkat seiring dengan meningkatnya kerapatan mangsa. Predator M. sexmaculatus dan M. lineata memiliki kemampuan pemangsaan yang lebih baik dalam memangsa M. persicae dibandingkan dengan B. tabaci. M. sexmaculatus merupakan predator yang paling berpotensi dalam memangsa imago M. persicae.

Application of transfer learning and image augmentation technology for tomato pest identification

Traditional methods of identifying pests are time consuming and limited. To solve these problems, a set of reliable prediction models should be established to correctly identify tomato pests. This study established a tomato pest image dataset of common tomato pests. Deep learning (DL) convolutional neural network (CNN) models were applied to classify eight categories of tomato pests. Transfer learning was used to reduce training time. The DL models were used to extract features, and the extracted pest features were combined with three machine learning (ML) classifiers, including discriminant analysis (DA), support vector machine, and k-nearest neighbor method (KNN). Hyper-parameters were automatically optimized through Bayesian optimization. After image augmentation, VGG16 model exhibited the highest performance than the other models, with an accuracy of 94.95 %. Regarding the CNN + ML models, the ResNet50 with discriminant analysis model achieved 97.12 % classification accuracy. Combining the advantages of DL and ML could not only simplify the feature extraction process and reduce the training time, but also provide experts and farmers with effective and immediate assistance in identifying pests, which could help reduce economic and crop yield loss.

Phytoseiidae mites associated with native and cultivated solanaceous in Central-West Brazil

Predatory mites represent important biological control agents and those belonging to the Phytoseiidae family are the most promising for the control of phytophagous mites and small insects. The control of key pests of tomato and other solanaceous crops, highlighting phytophagous mites, has been a challenge and the biological control constitutes a promising strategy. Prospecting predatory mites in wild host plants, natural environments as well as in agroecosystems is relevant because these non-crop and crop areas can serve as reservoirs for promising species for biological control programs. This study aimed to know the Phytoseiidae fauna associated with wild and cultivated solanaceous plants in a poorly prospected area in Brazil, the Central-West Region. A detailed taxonomic identification of phytoseiid mites was conducted, and the most important morphological traits are presented for each species. In addition, associated phytophagous mites mainly belonging to the Tetranychidae, Tenuipalpidae and Eriophyoidea were identified. Surveys were carried out in 23 species of solanaceous collected in the Distrito Federal (12 areas) and Goiás State (1 area), from February 2017 to January 2018. Nineteen species of predators belonging to ten genera were recorded: Amblyseius (2 species), Euseius (3), Galendromus (1), Iphiseiodes (1), Neoseiulus (3), Paraphytoseius (1), Phytoseius (3), Proprioseiopsis (2), Typhlodromalus (2, one probably new to science) and Typhlodromips (1). Solanum lycocarpum was the solanaceous that harbored the highest richness (11 species), as well as the one with the highest abundance of phytoseiids (250 specimens). Typhlodromalus aripo was the most common species, being the most abundant (423 specimens; 32%) and registered on the largest number of hosts (14). Many of phytoseiid species found present morphological traits that facilitate their occurrence in leaves with trichomes, as in the case of tomato and other cultivated solanaceous. These traits and the association between predators and phytophagous mites may indicate that these species are promising for biological control programms. Thus, extensive studies to assess the efficiency of the identified predatory mites to control key solanaceous pests are required.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices on Tomato Leaf Miner, Tuta absoluta on Tomato and Potential Demand for Integrated Pest Management among Smallholder Farmers in Kenya and Uganda

Agricultural growth and food security are a priority in many developing countries. This has led to increased attention to effective pest management. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy is a sustainable and recommended alternative to the use of synthetic pesticides in the management of tomato pests, with Tuta absoluta being the major one. This study seeks to assess the awareness, attitude, and control practices on T. absoluta and examine the potential adoption of a proposed IPM strategy for the management of a pest using a randomly selected sample of 316 and 345 tomato growing households in Kenya and Uganda, respectively. The study findings indicate that T. absoluta is the major pest affecting tomato production, with most farmers using synthetic pesticides to manage it. Furthermore, we find a significant proportion of the survey respondents willing to adopt the IPM strategy. The probability of adopting the strategy was positively related to a farmer being male, residing near a source of inputs, accessing training, and possessing good knowledge, attitude, and practices towards the use of non-pesticides strategies. Thus, training, promotion, and awareness creation of the T. absoluta IPM are recommended for the sustainable management of the pest in tomato production.

Assessment of Tuta absoluta yield loss in Iranian tomato crops

• The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is a major invasive pest of tomato. • The weight and percentage of infected fruits was negatively related to different initial infestation levels of Tuta absoluta . • Investigating crop loss of T. absoluta in the farm is essential for enhancing integrated pest management programs. The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), a devastating pest of tomato plants, originates from South America but it has been considered an invasive pest for Iran since 2010. To assess crop loss caused by this pest, a study was conducted in a 600 m 2 field under a randomised complete block design. The impact of different initial densities of T. absoluta , including control (without infestation), one, two, four, and eight T. absoluta eggs on each host plant in the first and second year was investigated with an additional treatment (16 pinworm eggs per host plant) used in the second year. Yield attributes including length and width of fruits, numbers of infested and intact fruits along with their weights were sampled and assessed on a weekly basis. In addition, the correlation between the number of galleries and these characteristics was also investigated. Crop loss data demonstrated that the effect of different infestation levels on fruit size and the weight of intact fruits was not significant over both years. However, the effect of treatment on the percentage and weight of infested fruits was shown to be significantly different in 2014 and 2015. Furthermore, there was a negative significant correlation between the number of galleries and weight of infested fruits in both years. Collectively, these results will be useful for enhancing pest management programs of T. absoluta in Iran.

Machine Learning-Based Approaches for Tomato Pest Classification

Insect pests are posing a significant threat to agricultural production. They live in different places like fruits, vegetables, flowers, and grains. It impacts plant growth and causes damage to crop yields. We presented an automatic detection and classification of tomato pests using image processing with machine learning-based approaches. In our work, we considered texture features of pest images extracted by feature extractors like gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM), local binary pattern (LBP), histogram of oriented gradient (HOG), and speeded up robust features (SURF). The three standard classification methods, including Support Vector Machine (SVM), k-Nearest Neighbour (k-NN), and Decision Tree (DT), are used to classify features of tomato pest by feature extractors mentioned above. The three classifiers have undergone a comprehensive analysis to present which classifier yields the best accuracy, and the value of best accuracy obtained using the feature extraction method. The experiment results showed that the SVM classifier's precision using the feature extracted by LBP achieves the highest value of 81.02%. MATLAB software used for feature extraction and WEKA graphical user interface for classification.

Comparison of life‐history traits and oviposition preferences of Tuta absoluta for 12 common tomato varieties in Burkina Faso

AbstractThe South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), is an economically important insect pest of tomatoes. Since its discovery in Burkina Faso in 2016, the use of synthetic insecticides was favored, with many cases of treatment failure. To explore alternative control methods, we conducted a screening of the 12 main tomato varieties produced in the country to test two hypotheses: (i) Some tomato varieties are less likely to attract gravid females and be used as oviposition site; (ii) Some varieties are unsuitable host plants as they allow slower development and lead to higher mortality. The varieties tested include RomaVF, KanonF1, Cobra 26 F1, FBT1, FBT2, FBT3, RaissaF1, JampacktF1, Mongal, Rio Grande, Tropimech, and Petomech. T. absoluta fitness was largely impacted by the tomato variety, especially egg incubation time and larval and pupal stage durations. As a result, the total T. absoluta life cycle was slower on Cobra 26 F1 and Kanon F1 (24.6 ± 1.8 and 25.8 ± 3.3 days, respectively) and faster on FBT1 and Rio grande (22.6 ± 3.0 and 22.8 ± 2.6 days, respectively). None of the varieties impacted the adult lifespan. All varieties were accepted as hosts by gravid females during multiple‐choice oviposition assays. The number of eggs laid per female was statistically similar among the varieties. We conclude that two varieties, Kanon F1 and Cobra 26 F1, have better abilities to slow T. absoluta development, limiting the number of generations while increasing the probability that natural enemies find and kill their prey.