HAIL: The Ministry of Agriculture has moved rapidly to counter the spread of the “tomato leafminer”, known scientifically as “Tuta absoluta”, which is a pest affecting the Kingdom's agricultural regions. It is feared that farmers of tomatoes and other vegetables, like potatoes and eggplant, may lose their entire crops, resulting in significant financial losses. Muhammad Bin Abdullah Al-Sheeha, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture for Agricultural Affairs was expected to tour the farms in Hail Region today to check the damage to the farms caused by the pest. Al-Sheeha will discuss preventive measures to save the tomato crops and protect farms from the “tomato leafminer”. The inspection tour will include directors general of agriculture in the Kingdom from Hail, Madina, Al-Jouf, Tabuk and the Eastern Province. Ministry of Agriculture specialists have described the pest outbreak as “serious”. Salman Al-Suwaini', Director General of Agricultural Affairs Administration in Hail Region, said the administration is scheduled to organize a specialist workshop under the patronage of the ministry's undersecretary, including specialists, to brief engineers and technicians in the Kingdom's regions on the seriousness of the pest. There are also plans to take preventive measures to protect agricultural produce in the Kingdom from the spread of this menace in the coming days. He added that the affected farms and fields are being closely monitored and the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture will closely monitor the development of this affliction and the solutions proposed for preventing and combating it. According to Wikipedia, Tuta absoluta is a species of moth from the family Gelechiidae, known by the common names tomato leafminer and South American tomato moth. It is well-known as a serious pest of tomato crops in Europe and South America. The larva feeds voraciously upon tomato plants, producing large galleries in leaves, burrows into stalks, and consumes apical buds and green and ripe fruits. It is capable of causing a 100 percent yield loss. The damage continues throughout the season for the growing of tomatoes and moves to the tinning and processing stages if countering measures are not taken. Tomato is the main host plant, but the insect also attacks other crop plants of the ‘nightshade family', including potato, eggplant, and pepino. It is known to attack many solanaceous weeds, such as Datura stramonium, Lycium chilense, and Solanum nigrum.
