order 01_11_16_01_02_06

INVASIVE SPECIES

Name

Institution

1. The article is about the invasive moth species from Chile known as Tuta absoluta and is from Chile (Yin, 2016). It was introduced to Europe through canned tomatoes. The invasive species then spread throughout Europe then to Africa and Asia. The various measures that can be carried out to control the invasive moths are by the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which greatly lacks in developing countries and thus more tomato crops are destroyed. The moths have caused great havoc and losses in Kaduna, Nigeria where they have led to shortages of tomatoes and an increase in prices. Many methods have been employed to prevent the moth’s destruction on the tomato plants. The introduction of natural enemies to the moths, chemical pesticides, biopesticides, and pheromones have been used to control the numbers of the moths. IPM has been proven the best method. Training is required to ensure that the personnel works efficiently towards eliminating the moths.

2. Invasive species in the article bring a biological perspective in agriculture and various ways to curtail the spread of the moths. The moths and the destruction they cause on tomatoes are not significantly established in the course. The article gives the background of the insect regarding its scientific names and its specific target, which is the tomato. The origin is given and therefore we can relate the spread of the moth to other parts of the world to Chile as more information is given through the article (Peña, 2013) . As such, the course text provides valuable information that helps a person to understand the subject and how it is being brought out in the article.

3. The article caught my attentions because it is dealing with a commodity that is in high demand. Tomatoes are significantly required in the food industry, and the moth spoiling them causes a lot of losses in the food industries. Tomatoes make food taste better and therefore their destruction by moth draws attention. The knowledge affects me directly since I may end up not eating tomatoes, which is both a source of vitamins and minerals. The scientific knowledge helps greatly in dealing with the moth menace in that is controls their numbers and enables individuals to take care of their crops, which are in the field. Moths, in this case, are lessened by the different prevention methods where chemicals or natural enemies are used ((Spilsbury, 2015). The issues of moths destroying crops are rare, and it has mostly been attributed to locusts.

4. Research on the moths destroying tomatoes should be done by the state. The moths are issues of concern to the availability of tomatoes among the population (Helyer et al., 2009). Since agriculture is affecting the whole public, the issues should be dealt with by the state. The shortage of food in such an event can then be found out in an efficient manner whereby the solutions will be done nationwide without any favoritism. The private sector may end up with an expensive system of controlling the invasive species, and as such, people may not afford it and end up bearing losses. It is, therefore, important for the state to take the control measures and pass them through various training to farmers and other interested parties. As such, more research needs to be done to come up with specific control measures that are cheaper and thus enable developing countries to benefit from them.

References

Helyer, N., Brown, K., & Cattlin, N. D. (2009). Biological control in plant protection: A colour handbook. London: Manson.

Peña, J. E. (2013). Potential invasive pests of agricultural crops. Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK: CABI.

Spilsbury, R. (2015). Invasive insect species. Place of publication not identified: Rosen Classroom.

Yin, S. (August 29, 2016). You say tomato, these moths say dinner. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/30/science/you-say-tomato-these-moths-say-dinner.html