1 - Phytosanitary Resources

Survey Procedures
Detection Survey
Use a detection survey to determine whether a pest is present in a defined area
where it is not known to occur. The detection survey can be broad in scope, as
when assessing the presence of the pest over large areas or it may be restricted
to determining if a specific pest is present in a focused area (i.e., a greenhouse).
Statistically, a detection survey is not a valid tool to claim that a pest does not
exist in an area, even if results are negative. Negative results can be used to
provide clues about the mode of dispersal, temporal occurrence, or industry
practices. Negative results are also important when compared with results from
sites that are topographically, spatially, or geographically similar.
Procedure
Use the following tools singly or in any combination to detect the presence of
Tuta absoluta:
1. Check plants for the presence of the pest and its damage. Refer to Visual
Inspection of Plants on page 4-5, Visual Inspection of Packing
Materials on page 4-6, and Visual Inspection in Tomato Fields on
page 4-6 for detailed information.
2. Focus on high risk areas where Tuta absoluta is more likely to be found.
See Targeted Survey on page 4-5 and Survey Locations on page 4-18
for detailed information.
3. Establish regular sites to inspect along your normal surveying route. See
Sentinel Site Survey on page 4-5 for detailed information.
Delimiting Survey Following Initial U.S. Detection
Use a delimiting survey to determine the type and extent of control measures to
apply. In large areas, locating the source of an infestation could be difficult.
Procedure
Use the procedure in Detection Survey on page 4-3 as a guide. Additional
surveys should continue in nearby areas in order to determine the full extent of
the infestation. Inspections should encompass continually larger areas
particularly where hosts are known to occur. Surveys should be most intensive
around the known positive detections and any discovered through traceback
and trace-forward investigations, if possible.
6/2011 Tomato Leafminer 4-3
Emergency and Domestic Programs