Plant Resistance to Tomato Pinworm

Consideration

• Tomato pinworms feed on leaves and fruit of the tomato plant family. All the leaves on a plant can be infested late in the growing season. The pinworms create dry burrows in the core of the tomato. Several generations are born in one season because of the quick breeding of the pinworms.

Control

• Remove and destroy any plant debris at the end of each harvest. This removes current pinworm infestations and pests hiding for the winter in the debris. Remove any weeds related to tomato plants as well. Rotate crops each season to discourage tomato pinworms from breeding and feeding in the same area each year.

Resistance

• Breeding tomato plants to resist pinworms is a difficult task. The most resistant plant varieties resemble the wild type of tomatoes, which do not have the right characteristics for commercial tomato production. The large juicy tomatoes in the grocery store are more susceptible to tomato pinworms than the tiny-fruit producing wild plants.