The Impact of Post-Harvest Removal of Vegetative Residues on the Adult Population Density of the Tomato Leaf Miner, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), in the Tomato-Growing Areas of Muğla

This study investigated the effects of tomato plant residues that remained in the field after harvest on the population growth of adult Tuta absoluta in open-field tomato growing areas of Muğla province. The research was conducted in Çamköy (Milas, Muğla) and Kızlan (Datça, Muğla) between 2015 and 2017 in a total of four fields, including one field with field cleaning and tillage after harvest and one field without field cleaning and tillage in each location. Pheromone traps were used to determine the development of adult T. absoluta populations. During the studies, a total of 3.670 and 5.423 T. absoluta adults were captured in Çamköy in the fields with and without field cleaning and tillage, respectively. Based on these findings, the total mean number of T. absoluta adults was found to be 159.57 and 235.78, respectively. The difference between the two means was determined to be statistically significant. In Kızlan, another region where sampling was conducted, a total of 3.127 and 5.440 T. absoluta adults were captured in fields that underwent post-harvest field cleaning and tilling, respectively. The mean number of adults in these fields was 142.14 and 247.27, respectively, showing a statistically significant difference between the two means. These results indicate that cultural treatments aimed at reducing T. absoluta populations in post-harvest production areas were effective in decreasing pest population density in the following season.