Calcium and potassium silicates impact life table parameters of Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) and improve field performance of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)
) decreased from 118.17 to 63.91 and 35.15, respectively. Both treatments reduced leaf mines, increased fruit weight, and enhanced yield to 18.73 t/ha (potassium) and 23.61 t/ha (calcium), compared with 13.26 t/ha in the control. Postharvest losses were minimized, with calcium silicate showing the lowest weight loss (5.39%) and decay rate (6.77%) after 14 days. These findings demonstrate that calcium and potassium silicates effectively suppress T. absoluta populations while improving tomato yield and storability, highlighting their potential for integration into sustainable pest management programs.
Authors
- Shahram Aramideh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4220-6165)
- Samaneh Akbari (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2662-8136)
- Mahdieh Mousavi
Institutions
- University of Kurdistan (IR)
- Urmia University (IR)
- Soil Conservation and Watershed Management Research (IR)
- Agricultural Research & Education Organization (IR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- Published
- 2026-05-09
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-51521-y
- Primary Topic
- Silicon Effects in Agriculture
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00