Extramural Research - People, Prosperity and the Planet
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EPA Grant Number: SU831862
Title: Low-cost Pheromone Traps and Insect-Resistant Varieties of Tomatillos: Sustainable Tools to Achieve Reduction in Pesticide Use and Diminish Damage by the Fruit-Feeding Caterpillar, Heliothis subflexa Guenee (Noctuidae) in the State of Jalisco, Mexico
This team is researching, developing, and deploying tools that farmers can use to sustainably manage H. subflexa, a caterpillar that can damage fruit crops, including tomatillos. In west-central Mexico, the tomatillo is a fundamental feature of people's daily diets and, therefore, an important crop. As an immediate means of pesticide and damage reduction, low-cost pheromone-baited traps were are being used to detect early stages of infestation. This project is also assessing the effectiveness of trap design and screening hybrid varieties of the tomatillo and its wild relatives for resistance to H. subflexa.