The biological aspects and the parasitism of six strains of Trichogramma pretiosum Riley reared on eggs of tomato moths Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) and Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller) were studied in order to select those with best biological features and more aggressive to control such pests. Life cycle, viability, sexual ratio and parasitism percentage were similar among the six strains studied regarding the parasitism of T. absoluta eggs. In P. operculella eggs, strains L1, L4 and L6 were more aggressive. Based on the cluster analysis, strains L1, L2, L4 and L5 had similar behavior when reared on T. absoluta eggs. For P. operculella, similarities were observed among strains L1, L3, L4 and L6. Considering the desirable biological characteristics, that is, higher parasitism, shorter life cycle, higher viability and predominance of females, strains L1 and L4 are more suitable for tomato moths.
Insecta; biological control; parasitism; tomato
