International audienceIn the Tunisian south, the heated greenhouses are an important axis of development of agriculture thanks to the big geothermal potential of this zone. Currently, this sector suffers from several phytosanitary problems. In the last years, a new insect, Tuta absoluta, threaten the cultures of cultivated tomatoes in heated greenhouses. To improve control of T. absoluta, the effectiveness of pheromone traps (associated or not with a source of light) and luminous traps (associated or not with water, with limed buckets for limed covers) were compared. The results show that the traps with pheromones significantly catch more adults of T. absoluta compared to all the other types of traps (average number of trapped adults of T. absoluta = 73.4 (± 142)). The luminous traps associated with water, with limed buckets as with limed covers show, as for them, an intermediate effectiveness. In spite of this slightly less effectiveness, the luminous traps have the advantage of low costs of production as well as the advantage of simultaneously capturing males and females of T. absoluta. ; Peer reviewe

Aoun, Faouzi

Ben Belgacem, Ali

Caparros Megido, Rudy

Ettaib, Refki

Sadok Belkadhi, Mohamed

Verheggen, François

English

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Effectiveness of pheromone traps against Tuta absoluta
Refki Ettaib, Mohamed Sadok Belkadhi, Ali Ben Belgacem, Faouzi Aoun,
François Verheggen, Rudy Caparros Megido
To cite this version:
Refki Ettaib, Mohamed Sadok Belkadhi, Ali Ben Belgacem, Faouzi Aoun, François Verheggen, et al..
Effectiveness of pheromone traps against Tuta absoluta. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies,
2016. ￿hal-01548714￿
 
~ 841 ~ 
Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 2016; 4(6): 841-844
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
E-ISSN: 2320-7078 
P-ISSN: 2349-6800 
JEZS 2016; 4(6): 841-844 
© 2016 JEZS 
Received: 21-09-2016 
Accepted: 22-10-2016 
 
Ettaib Refki  
Laboratory of Aridoculture oasis 
and Cultures at the Institute of 
Arid Regions (IRA) Tunisia, 
Route du djorf km 22 - 4119 
Médenine, Tunisie 
 
Belkadhi Mohamed Sadok  
Laboratory of Aridoculture oasis 
and Cultures at the Institute of 
Arid Regions (IRA) Tunisia, 
Route du djorf km 22 - 4119 
Médenine, Tunisie 
 
Ben Belgacem Ali 
Laboratory of Aridoculture oasis 
and Cultures at the Institute of 
Arid Regions (IRA) Tunisia, 
Route du djorf km 22 - 4119 
Médenine, Tunisie 
 
Aoun Faouzi  
Laboratory of Aridoculture oasis 
and Cultures at the Institute of 
Arid Regions (IRA) Tunisia, 
Route du djorf km 22 - 4119 
Médenine, Tunisie 
 
Verheggen François Jean 
Laboratory of functional and 
evolutionary entomology 
(Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, 
University of Liege) Passage des 
Déportés 2, B-5030, Gembloux, 
Belgique 
 
Caparros Megido Rudy 
Laboratory of functional and 
evolutionary entomology 
(Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, 
University of Liege) Passage des 
Déportés 2, B-5030, Gembloux, 
Belgique 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Correspondence 
Ettaib Refki  
Laboratory of Aridoculture oasis 
and Cultures at the Institute of 
Arid Regions (IRA) Tunisia, 
Route du djorf km 22 - 4119 
Médenine, Tunisie 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Effectiveness of pheromone traps against Tuta 
absoluta 
 
Ettaib Refki, Belkadhi Mohamed Sadok, Ben Belgacem Ali, Aoun Faouzi, 
Verheggen François Jean and Caparros Megido Rudy  
 
Abstract 
In the Tunisian south, the heated greenhouses are an important axis of development of agriculture thanks 
to the big geothermal potential of this zone. Currently, this sector suffers from several phytosanitary 
problems. In the last years, a new insect, Tuta absoluta, threaten the cultures of cultivated tomatoes in 
heated greenhouses. 
To improve control of T. absoluta, the effectiveness of pheromone traps (associated or not with a source 
of light) and luminous traps (associated or not with water, with limed buckets for limed covers) were 
compared. The results show that the traps with pheromones significantly catch more adults of T. absoluta 
compared to all the other types of traps (average number of trapped adults of T. absoluta = 73.4 (± 142)). 
The luminous traps associated with water, with limed buckets as with limed covers show, as for them, an 
intermediate effectiveness. In spite of this slightly less effectiveness, the luminous traps have the 
advantage of low costs of production as well as the advantage of simultaneously capturing males and 
females of T. absoluta. 
 
Keywords: Tomato, Tuta absoluta, heated greenhouses, luminous traps, pheromone, control 
 
1. Introduction 
To recompense the water deficit of the oases of the Tunisian South, the exploitation of the 
tablecloth of the Continental Guide was planned. This geothermic water, naturally hot with a 
temperature between 67 and 70 °C [1], allowed the development of a new crenel of agricultural 
production in the areas of Gabes, Kebili and Tozeur oasis. The latter is only the exploitation of 
geothermal energy for the production of early products in green house [2]. It is from the crop 
year of 1985-1986 that the first greenhouses were installed close to the oases of Jemna and 
Limagues in the governorship of Kebili [3]. Since then, there have been fast developments of 
the use of the greenhouses heated by geothermic water in these zones. The tomato is the 
principal culture. It is regarded as a key element of the economy because a considerable 
quantity of its production is exported towards Europe during the cold period [3. 1]. The heated 
greenhouses constitute a microclimate presenting particular conditions a very high temperature 
and moisture. These conditions support the appearance of several types of damage caused by 
nematodes, mushrooms (of the mildews, oïdiums…), bacterial and viral diseases as well as 
devastating insects [1]. Among the devastating insects, Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: 
Gelechiidae) is an emerging ravageur of tomato and is the object of a very detailed attention [4].  
The tomato mineuse, T. absoluta is a ravageur of tomato coming from South America [5]. At 
the end of 2006, the presence of T. absoluta was reported, in Spain, for the first time [6]. Then, 
it was detected in several European and North-African countries, mainly in Mediterranean 
region [5]. At the present time, it is quickly propagated apart from the Mediterranean region [7].  
Most damage are concentrated in the apical and median parts of plants it is able to cause up to 80% 
or 100% of losses [8, 6]. Since 2008, after these production losses, the price of tomato recorded a big 
raise in several countries [9]. In order to fight against the ravager of tomato, the Ministry of 
Agriculture in Tunisia launched a biological campaign of fight concentrated on the use of 
diffusers of pheromones [4], a method of control very much used against T. absoluta [10-14].  
The traps with pheromones have the shapes of traps composed of female sexual pheromones 
which make it possible to attract and capture adult males, one can distinguished several types 
of traps; trap with pheromone of the type Delta, trap with water [15], the colors of the traps also 
interfere in the attraction of the adults of T. absoluta [16]. However, these traps are expensive 
[17] and their real effectiveness is put in doubt by the phenomenon of parthenogenesis [18].  
 
~ 842 ~ 
Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 
 
Among the tools of the physical fights against T. absoluta one 
finds the traps luminous which are very marketed, but their 
effectiveness is little studied of Rodrigues et al. (2008) [19] 
compared several standard luminous traps between each other 
but not with the other types of the traps. They showed that 
lamps BLB are most effective. The goal of our study is to 
compare the effectiveness of the pheromone traps (associated 
or not with a source of light) and luminous traps (associates or 
not with water, limed buckets or limed covers). 
 
2. Materials and methods 
2.1 Trapping 
 
 
 
Fig 1: Trap with water with capsule of pheromone (P+E) 
 
 
 
Fig 2: Plastic caver stuck to grease and the front face associated with 
an external light source (G + L). 
 
Our tests were carried out from April 25th to 27th 2010; in three 
greenhouses of the geothermic site of Bazma in the Tunisian 
South. Nine traps were tested within a tomato culture 
uninterrupted. The counting of the trapped adults of T. 
absoluta using the various systems was operated daily during 
three days.  
The various traps consisted of a common part which was not 
other than a trap with water formed of a plate filled with water 
and a small quantity of vegetable oil (trap E). This basic trap, 
were also associated: a capsule of pheromone (P+E), (figure 
1), a source of light (L+E), a source of light and a capsule of 
pheromone (P+L+E) as well as a bucket limed of grease (S), 
and it was itself combined with one or two sources of light 
(S+L and S+2L). The source of light was always made up of a 
supplied lamp of photovoltaic cells having a luminous 
intensity of 2 W. the last two traps consisted of a limed plastic 
cover of grease associated or not with a source of light (G and 
G+L). The formed trap by the plastic cover consisted of a 
limed cover on its side part on surface of 1 m2 with 1.5 meter 
of surface of the ground (figure 2). Four surfaces were limed 
in the two interior long limits of the greenhouses. The sources 
of light were hung outside the greenhouse, opposite to the 
limed surface.  
 
2.2 Statistical Analysis  
The conditions for applications (normality of the population 
and homoscedasticity) of the ANOVA were not being met. So, 
the test of Kruskal-Wallis was carried out and followed by 
comparisons of Mann-Whitney of the pairs of samples. All the 
statistical tests were carried out by the means of the software 
Minitab® v. 18 (http://www.minitab.com). 
 
3. Results 
The average number of adults of T. absoluta trapped during 3 
days by each type of traps is represented in figure 3. The test 
of Kruskal-Wallis indicates that there are significant 
differences between the various treatments (H8= 66.32; P = 
0,001). The comparisons of Mann-Whitney on the pairs of 
samples indicate that the traps with pheromones provided or 
not with a source of light significantly captured more insects 
than all the other types of traps (Table 1). In the case of the 
pheromones traps, the use of a source of light does not show a 
significant difference in effectiveness. Traps S+L and G+L 
show an intermediate and similar effectiveness between them. 
Trap L+E shows an effectiveness less than the last two traps 
but not significantly different from that of G+L. The traps E, 
S+2L and G show a low effectiveness whereas the trap S 
shows a very low effectiveness (Table 1). 
 
 
 
Fig 3: Comparing the averages of each type of traps. 
 
~ 843 ~ 
Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 
 
Table 1: Mann-Whitney comparisons between different used types of traps. 
 
 Traps         
Average number of 
T. absoluta 
(± ET) 
E L+E P+E L+P+E S S+L S+2L G G+L 
25.3 ±123.6ab 40.9 ±113.4ac 
73.4 ±142 
d 
71.2 ±21.6 
d 
10.1 ±3.1 
e 
52.4 ±14.2 
f 
22.7 ±4,9 
b 
22.4 ±0.7 
b 
50.6 ±3.5 
cf 
 
4. Discussion 
The significant differences between the various treatments 
show the utility of several used combination. The different 
combinations have the aim to improve of the types of T. 
absoluta trappings. 
The traps with pheromones (provided or not with a source of 
light) captured more insects than all the other types of traps. 
Indeed the insects are attracted by the sexual pheromone more 
than the Light, even when the source of Light (S+2L) was 
doubled. The addition of trap with pheromone with a source of 
light (L+P+E) does not show any more effectiveness; even 
minimized the effect of the capsules with pheromones, but that 
remains no significant. Traps (S+L) and (G+L) show an 
intermediate and similar effectiveness between them. These 
two types of traps are at least effective, especially when one 
compares them with the traps with pheromones. The 
effectiveness of the light becomes lower if the latter is 
associated with water (L+E), but remains always no significant 
while comparing with (G+L). Then we can conclude that 
generally even by modifying the support of gluing of the 
adults of T. absoluta the effectiveness of the light remains 
almost the same one. But by comparing the effectiveness and 
the period of life of the luminous trap, we notice that the latter 
remains relatively effective especially with a weak population. 
Concerning the traps E, S+2L and G the rate of trapping is 
very weak compared to the latter traps, this make in evidence 
also that the doubling of the light has a negative effect on the 
effectiveness of the trap, because while comparing (S+L) and 
(S+2L), the difference is very significant.  
The pheromone traps as well as the traps luminous become 
more effective when the greenhouses are protected by nets 
“insect-proof” [20]. Within the framework of monitoring the 
density of trap with pheromone should be 20 to 25 traps/ha 
inside greenhouses (30 traps/ha in greenhouses of vegetable 
multiplication) and by 40 to 50 traps/ha in full field and this 
density must be increased if the number exceeds 30 individuals 
per trap during one week [21, 22]. The approximate lifetime of 
this kind of trap is from 4 to 6 weeks [23]. Since the sexual 
communication of T. absoluta is guided by the attraction of the 
males towards a female sexual pheromone, the traps with 
pheromones catch only the male individuals, which decrease 
their effectiveness [15]. Moreover, the males of T. absoluta are 
polygenic and reproduce on average of 6.5 times [24]. A big 
proportion of males must thus be removed before the number 
of eggs laid, in a population, starts to decrease [25, 15]. Finally, 
Caparros Megido et al. (2012) [18] showed that the females 
were able to lay not fertilized eggs what can decrease the 
effectiveness of this kind of trap.  
Luminous traps, although being less effective than the traps 
with pheromones have a capacity to attract at the same time 
males and females of T. absoluta. Moreover, the capsules of 
pheromones have one limited lifetime. On the other hand, the 
source of light is more permanent can even live for more years 
if the lamp is supplied with photovoltaic cells, like the case of 
the traps tested in our study.  
Although the traps with pheromones appeared more effective, 
the use of the luminous traps could be recommended within 
the framework of a fight plan against T. absoluta in 
geothermic greenhouses. The success of a strategy or another 
is base not only on the types of the traps but is also based on 
the co-operation of the producer [26] as well as the control 
measures in the stations from packing [27]. 
 
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Effectiveness of pheromone traps against Tuta absoluta

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Effectiveness of pheromone traps against Tuta absoluta

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