Are we ready for the invasion of Tuta absoluta? Unanswered key questions for elaborating an Integrated Pest Management package in Xinjiang, China

The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is an invasive destructive pest of tomato and other solanaceous plants. Since its first detection in Spain in 2006, the pest has started its invasion across the Afro-Eurasian super-continent. Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, adjacent to the recently infested central-Asia countries, being the largest tomato growing region worldwide, is now under high invasion risk. Considering the importance of this issue, we must plan ahead to be fully prepared for the potential invasion of this pest in near future. In this paper, we call for upcoming studies to address several aspects including the overwintering biology, diapause, dispersion, population ecology in outdoor crops and insecticide resistance of invading populations. Moreover, the effective management options are proposed based on the control experience in its native range and recently infested countries. Our “look-ahead” proposal not only serves as a guideline forelaborating the pest management strategy in Xinjiang in near future, but can also interest the rest of the tomato-producing regions worldwide that have not been infested yet by the moth.