They patented a new compound to combat the Tuta Absoluta.

THE NATURAL CHEMICAL COMPOUND IS BASED ON GINGER AND TURMERIC.

Zayintec, company specialising in consultancy for plant breeding, It has been detected in the chemical compound of the Zingiberene, produced by the tomato plant, a natural ally to fight against attacks from Tuta Absoluta.
The almerian company has shown that exogenous application of the Alpha-zingiberene significantly decreases the feeding activity of Tuta Absoluta and increases mortality in larvae.

Tuta Absoluta is among the insects that further damage cause in tomato crops and in recent years has spread very aggressively throughout the Mediterranean basin, Balearic and Canary Islands.

It acts as a pest in crops of tomato, Pope and other solanaceous both wild and cultivated, being also the Eggplant a potential guest.

Zayintec was carrying out studies of resistances tomato varieties that endured well especially the attacks from Tuta.

Moving forward on the grounds that this special genetic resistance of tomato originating, they discovered an abundant presence of the chemical compound Zingiberene produced for the tomato plant through the trichomes (plant glands) some varieties of wild tomato.

The principal investigator, Rafael Bermudez, "explained that"deepening the research discovered that the chemical compound responsible for resistance to the Tuta Absoluta in tomato germplasm, It is also a major component of the volatiles from the Zingiberaceae being its largest presence in the essential oil of ginger and turmeric”.

Patent obtained by Zayintec is claimed the use and exogenous application in a chemical compound called tomato plant Alpha-zingiberene that it can be applied both in its pure or isolated form, as a repellent and insecticide against Tuta Absoluta.

"Zayintec has shown that exogenous application of the" Alpha-zingiberene significantly decreases the feeding activity of Tuta Absoluta and increases mortality in larvae”, says Bermudez.

After trials in the research conducted by the company, It has been shown that exogenous application of this compound tomato plants, It is effective in certain conditions of temperature, as agent of Tuta Absoluta control.

The application of Alpha-zingiberene provokes an effect of non-preference (non-host) on the treated tomato plants. It significantly reduces oviposition of adults in tomato plants and the larvae reduced their feeding activity, What causes an increase in the percentage of mortality. It also causes mortality of eggs and neonate larvae in percentages that depend on the doses applied.