Could alternative solanaceous hosts act as refuges for the tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta?

The tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), is a widespread devastating pest reported to develop on economically important solanaceous plants. The characterization of its effective host range could help to understand and prevent the dispersion behavior of the insect in the environment. In this study, the ability of T. absoluta to locate and develop on wild (Solanum nigrum, Atropa belladonna, Datura stramonium) and cultivated (Solanum tuberosum) solanaceous plant species under laboratory conditions was assessed. Dual-choice behavioral assays performed in flying tunnels (S. tuberosum vs. another plant) revealed that adult distribution and female oviposition did not differ between Solanum species, which were preferred to the other tested plants. The volatile molecules released by each tested plant species provide some explanations in the observed behavioral discrimination: S. nigrum and S. tuberosum volatile profiles were similar and were presenting quantitative and qualitative differences with the other tested solanaceous plants. To determine whether the host plant choice was adaptive or not, we have finally conducted fitness assays, by rearing T. absoluta larvae on each plant species and have shown that Solanum species allowed higher larval survivability and lower development time (from egg to adult emergency) compared to the other plants. We conclude that Solanum species are suitable host plants for T. absoluta, but other solanaceous plant species could be opportunistically colonized with fewer incidences.