The tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick), also known as Phthorimaea absoluta, is a significant polyphagous invasive agricultural pest. It primarily infests Solanaceae crops, such as tomatoes and potatoes, and can cause tomato yield losses of 50%~80%, or even complete crop failure. Therefore, as the "Ebola virus of tomatoes", T. absoluta was first found in Xinjiang, China, in 2017, and has broken out in several regions of China. T. absoluta often occurs covertly, and its suitable habitats are widespread in China. This pest can transmitted over long distances through the transport of tomato seedlings and fruits, indicating a clear trend of further spread.Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop efficient and low-cost detection and identification technologies and methods for T. absoluta, in order to achieve early detection and advance warning of this significant invasive species.Currently, the primary techniques used to identify T. absoluta include traditional morphological identification methods, molecular biological detection techniques, and artificial intelligence-based image recognition methods. In this paper, the research status of detection and identification technology of T. absoluta was reviewed, and its development trend was prospected, aiming at providing technical support for delaying the spread and diffusion of T. absoluta and targeting strategies.

Glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs) play an important role in insect adaptation to plant secondary metabolites. To clarify the role of the GST gene in the detoxification of Tuta absoluta to α-tomatine, we first cloned the full-length sequence of TabsGSTs2 gene. Bioinformatic analysis was employed to analyze the sequence characteristics, physicochemical properties, conserved domains, gene structure, and evolutionary relationships of the TabsGSTs2 gene. The expression levels of TabsGSTs2 under α-tomatine stress were measured using RT-qPCR, and the binding capacity and mode of TabsGSTs2 to α-tomatine were investigated using homology modeling and molecular docking. The results showed that the CDS of TabsGSTs2 was 609 bp, encoding 203 amino acids, with a theoretical isoelectric point of 8.47 and a molecular weight of 23.895 kDa. TabsGSTs2 contains four β-sheets and nine α-helices, and had the typical conserved domains of GST genes, including the GSH binding site (G-site) and the substrate binding site (H-site). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that TabsGSTs2 belongs to the sigma subfamily and was closely related to CpGSTs2 of Cydia pomonella. Under α-tomatine stress, the expression level of TabsGSTs2 was significantly higher than that of the control at 72 h. Molecular docking results suggested that TabsGSTs2 bind strongly to α-tomatine, with the interaction being stabilized primarily by hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic forces, and salt bridges. Our study provides reference for subsequent studies of the molecular mechanisms of T. absoluta adaptation to α-tomatine and provides a basis for further exploration of new targets for the control of T. absoluta.

Tuta absoluta (Meyrick), native to Peru, South America, is a worldwide quarantine invasive pest and has spread to more than 110 countries and regions, posing a serious threat to the tomato industry. Due to the negative effects of chemical control, the research and development as well as application of green control technologies are particularly important. This paper reviews the research progress of green prevention and control technologies, including "push-pull" technologies, physicochemical trapping and control technologies, biological control technology and other new concepts of prevention and control. The aim of this paper is to provide tomato growers with scientific and effective control guidance for the prevention and control of T. absoluta, reduce the use of chemical pesticides, and guarantee the sustainable development of the tomato industry and the quality and safety of agricultural products.