Farmer invents device against Tuta Absoluta

Farmer invents device against Tuta Absoluta Font Size: Larger|Smaller Sunday, February 13, 2011 AHMET ACAR DEMRE, Antalya - Doğan News Agency (DHA)

After his efforts against the Tuta Absoluta moth failed, farmer Ali Rıza Yılmaz developed a prism-shaped tool with a light bulb in it. DHA photo Ali Rıza Yılmaz, a farmer living in the Demre district of Antalya, has developed a device to be used against the “Tuta Absoluta” moth, tomato producers’ nightmare for the past few years. After his effort to combat the moth with pesticides failed, Yılmaz developed his device, which is a prism-shaped tool with a light bulb in it. The 27-centimeter-tall device has a total of 212 holes on it. When the bulb is lit at nights outside greenhouses, the moth is attracted to the light instead of the tomatoes. Yılmaz produced the device with help from Mediterranean University and has applied for a patent. Addressing hundreds of farmers during a press conference in Demre, Yılmaz said his crop was devastated last year because of Tuta Absoluta. “I started to think after that,” he said. “After the university prepared a positive report on my idea, we launched production.” The simple device gets rid of nearly 40,000 moths in a single night, Yılmaz said. “As the holes on it are small, useful bugs cannot get in. It has no harm to the environment.” Speaking at the press conference, Professor Battal Çıplak of Mediterranean University said pesticides are not very effective against Tuta Absoluta. “This system, in contrast, is totally organic,” he said. “It has no harm to either human health or other organisms.” The Latin America-origin Tuta Absoluta hits tomato crops particularly hard. In 2007, it was seen in Spain and one year later it spread to Morocco and Algeria. In 2009, it was found in Turkey, where it continues to plague farmers. Source :