Influence of tomato plants nutritional status on the fitness and damage of Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)

1. Fertilization input is required to improve productivity and attend the market demand for tomatoes. However, providing crops with nutrients can affect plant-insect interactions via bottom-up effects. The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), is a main pest of tomato crops worldwide but little is known about the effects of macro-elements fertilization inputs on its biological traits. 2. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of low, high and normal fertilization levels calcium, sulphur, nitrogen and potassium to tomato plants on T. absoluta development, survival and crop damage. 3. Larval mortality was lower in tomato plants fertilized with high sulphur fertilization level. The number of mines per leaf was not affected by calcium, sulphur and potassium fertilization, but low nitrogen input resulted in higher crop damage. Overall, our results indicate that nutritionally unbalanced tomato plants improve the biological performance of T. absoluta in comparison with balanced plants. 4. The results provide useful information that can be used in fertilization programmes of tomato and planning of strategies and tactics to reduce tomato suitability to T. absoluta. 5. In addition, the obtained findings provide an insight into the basic understanding of the interactions between crop fertilization and the performance T. absoluta.