الگوی پراکنش شب‌پره مینوز گوجه فرنگی Tuta absoluta در مزارع گوجه‌فرنگی شهرستان چهارباغ (البرز)

The tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is one of the most destructive pests of Solanaceae family, especially the tomato crop, which can destroy between 50 and 100% of the crop if not properly managed. This pest entered Iran in 2009 and spread in different parts of the country. Since the use of light traps is considered as an effective factor in hunting moths, including tomato moths, in order to evaluate the presence and distribution of this moth in Chaharbagh city, Alborz province, eleven tomato farms were selected and five light traps were placed per hectare. In this study, light traps were installed along with water and oil pans so that it is possible to hunt and track moths. The traps were visited weekly and the insects were taken out of the traps and taken to the laboratory to be counted. The height of the surveyed farms was between 1234 and 1305 MASL and the area of each farm was between 10,000 and 470,000 m2. Tomato cultivation in these areas started from late March to early May and harvesting was done in August or early September. In addition to tomatoes, other plants such as eggplant, peas, and beans were also cultivated in the studied fields. Therefore, the revisions (in 2012) started from April and continued until the middle of October. Based on sampling, the highest amount of damage in all eleven farms was in the months of August and September. In the meantime, Qasim-Gorji region was the most polluted with 65% insect population, and the lowest pollution level (5%) was related to Arababad, Sultanabad, Aqdasiyah and Abbasabad. Also, in Qasim Gurji region, the pest was observed on May 23 for the first time; While in Qasim Abad, the pest was estimated on August 21 for the first time. This time (August 21) coincided with the peak population of the pest in Qasim Gurji's farm (157 moths). This study showed that although the light traps are not effective in calling moths species specifically and estimating the exact number of insect generations in each region and weather condition, they have a high potential to attract both male and female adults, and show the beginning time of presence as well as the peak population and the pest damage. These types of traps are recommended for monitoring the moths due to their cheaper cost, so that management programs can be implemented against the pest in a timely manner.