author(s)
Sunil Kumar Taram, Jayalaxmi Ganguli and Rashmi Gauraha

abstract
Studies on host preference of the South American tomato moth, Tuta absoluta (Povolny) (Lepidoptera; Gelechiidae) on the basis of free choice test, conducted under laboratory conditions on few Solanaceous crops viz., tomato, brinjal, chilli and potato revealed that the results varied significantly with each other. Tomato leaves harbored maximum (2.58) number of larvae showing maximum preference, followed by brinjal leaves (1.86) and tomato fruit 1.76. Least number of larvae was observed in chilli leaves i. e. (1.08) which depicted least preference by T. absoluta.