Tomato production in central Brazil will decrease by 13% this year, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). Producers believe that one of the reasons for this decrease is the attack of the Helicoverpa armigera larvae. The plague that devastates crops of cotton and soybeans is now also affecting the tomato fields. Rural Technicians are studying the use of the Trichogramma wasp to address the problem.
In Brazil, the damage caused by the larvae has caught the Brazlândia farmers by surprise.
"This is scary because we can't kill this pest. Pesticides are no help. So I lost all my crops and the damage is great," says a producer who has grown tomatoes for more than 14 years. He said that this was the first time he found the Helicoverpa pest in his crops.
"This is scary because we can't kill this pest. Pesticides are no help. So I lost all my crops and the damage is great," says a producer who has grown tomatoes for more than 14 years. He said that this was the first time he found the Helicoverpa pest in his crops.
He also stressed that the new measures in the application of pesticides were in vain. It was necessary to carry out integrated management, with chemical products and biological ones to control the pest. The producer, however, still finds larvae in his fruits.
Based on information from Canal Rural