Location: Commodity Protection and Quality Research
Project Number: 2034-43000-043-074-A
Project Type: Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 18, 2025
End Date: Jun 30, 2026
Objective:
Rear tomato leafminer (TLM) and tomato transplants in the UC Davis Contained Research Facility to support phytosanitary treatment development by ARS PI Walse.
Approach:
Utilize a cooperative effort between USDA-ARS, University of California, California Department of Food and Agriculture, and California industry to bevelop phytosanitary protocols to disinfest the tomato leafminer (TLM) from fresh fruit and transplants. The project will be conducted in Phases with each phase predicated upon completion of the prior. Year 1, Phase 1. Identify the most treatment-tolerant life stages of TLM and efficacious treatment parameters in exploratory studies at the laboratory scale. Year 2, Phase 2 involves confirmatory testing of treatment efficacy. Year 3, Phase 3 involves technology transfer of research results to industry and government action agencies, including USDA Foreign Agricultural Service and Animal Plant Health Inspection Service.