Abstract The tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is a serious threat to tomato production in the world. Due to serious issues with insecticide resistance, there is a dire need for alternative control methods. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) have potential for the biological control of T. absoluta. In the laboratory we examined the effect of temperature, soil type and exposure time on the efficacy of the EPN species Steinernema carpocapsae (Nematoda: Steinernematidae) and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (Nematoda: Heterorhabditidae) against last-instar T. absoluta larvae. Both species caused high mortality in loamy sand (89%) and coco peat (93%) but not in sandy loam (17%). Heterorhabditis bacteriophora caused 9296% mortality at 19, 25, and 31 ºC; S. carpocapsae caused 8991% mortality at 25 and 31 °C but only 76% at 19 °C. Both species caused similar mortality levels after 65 min exposure; thereafter mortality increased only with S. carpocapsae reaching high levels even at a low concentration. Both species infected larvae within leaf galleries. When applied to whole large tomato plants in the greenhouse, both species provided similar control levels (4851%) at high pest densities. Both species could be incorporated as an effective alternative to synthetic insecticides into T. absoluta management programs in greenhouse tomato production.

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