Relationship of leaf miner populations with biotic and abiotic factors in tomato farms in Cameron Highlands

Leaf miners have high economic value on vegetables industry in many parts of the world. A monitoring study was conducted to record current population trend of the leaf miners with its natural enemies. The study was carried out in local vegetable farms of Cameron Highlands by sampling the infested tomato leaves from three zones categorised according to elevations monthly. Results showed that the populations of two leaf miner species were not significantly different between months (P = 0.67) and the three zones (P = 0.74). On contrary, different zones and months affected the population of its natural enemies significantly (P = 0.0002 and P = 0.0023 respectively). Results showed highest parasitism rate by Hemiptarsenus varicornis (23.25%) as compared to the Macrolophus sp. (18.3), Opius pallipes (11.06%) and Chrysocharis pentheus (2.13%). This study suggested that weather conditions did not affect the population dynamics of both the leaf miners and its natural enemies. However, it is suggested to carry out the study for a longer time scale to understand further the relationship and interactions.