Faria, Cristina Arantes Torres, Jorge Braz Fernandes, Adriana Maria Vieira Farias, Angela Maria Isidro <jats:p>One important factor determining the efficacy of parasitoids is the way they exploit different host patch. This study evaluated the response of females of Trichogramma pretiosum Riley (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) to the oviposition sites of Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) on processing tomato plants. In fully developed caged tomato plants T. absoluta moths were released, followed by the release of T. pretiosum females 12h later. After 24h of parasitoid release, the moth oviposition sites were mapped according to the plant canopy, and levels of parasitism assessed. The parasitism rate varied from 1.5 to 28%. There was not influence of plant structures on parasitism, except for the absence of parasitism on the plant apex. Levels of both T. absoluta oviposition and parasitism by T. pretiosum were higher on the upper third of the plant, decreasing downward along the plant canopy.</jats:p> application/pdf https://sonar.ch/global/documents/139997 eng info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1590/s0103-84782008000600002 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/issn/0103-8478 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Ciência Rural. - FapUNIFESP (SciELO). - 2008, vol. 38, no. 6, p. 1504-1509 Agronomy and Crop Science Animal Science and Zoology General Veterinary Parasitism of Tuta absoluta in tomato plants by Trichogramma pretiosum Riley in response to host density and plant structures http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501