17 th International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology Athens, Greece, 1 to 4 September 2021 CEST2021_00494 The complex of natural enemies of invasive species Tuta absoluta (Meyrick, 1917) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) on greenhouse-grown tomato crops conditions from southern Romania IAMANDEI M. 1* , ROSCA I. 1 , RADULEA M. 1 and CHIRILOAIE-PALADE A. 1 1 Research-Development Institute for Plant Protection, Bucharest *corresponding author: e-mail: maria_iamandei@yahoo.com Abstract An obvious consequence of climate change is represented by the rapid spread and establishment of the invasive alien pest worldwide. Soon after its introduction in Romania, the tomato leaf miner Tuta absoluta is considered the greatest threat to protected tomato crops in the area from south of the country. Pest control is based mainly on spraying of chemical insecticides but augmentative biological control started to be used more and more by farmers. The indiscriminate use of pesticides against T. absoluta may result in undesirable consequences and effects including toxicity to non-target organisms. Gaining knowledge about indigenous natural enemies that adapt to this invasive species is essential for establishing sa fer a nd eco-friendly strategy of control. A complex survey on the T. absoluta natural enemies was conducted in 2020 in four localities from the main greenhouse-grown vegetable cultivation areas in southern Romania. The list of T. absoluta antagonists includes eleven predators and three parasitoids species. The paper also examines how differences in technology and protection means, currently used by farmers, influence these natural enemies’ diversity and dynamics by providing useful information for understanding their role in ecosystem services and a base for further modeling and development of sustainable IPM programs. Keywords: climate change, ecosystem services, invasive species 1. Introduction The tomato leaf miner Tuta absoluta (Meyrick, 1917)(Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), a species unknown outside South America continent until the end of 2006 when was first detected in Spain (Urbaneja et al, 2009, 2007; Desneux et al., 2010), has proven an extraordinary capacity of rapidly spreading and establishing in novel areas in the Mediterranean Basin , Europe (Campos et al., 2017), Middle East, Asia (Han et al. 2019, Ishtiaq M. et al., 2020; Zhang et a l. 2019) and Africa (Machekano et al., 2018). This phenomenon depend on various factors, such as favorable temperature and relative humidity conditions, intensive tomato production system, and continuous host plant availability (Desneux et al. 2010, 2011; Cuthbertson et al. 2013; Machekano et al. 2018; Cherif et al. 2019). T. absoluta presence was signaled in Romania in 2009 (Cean & Dobrin, 2009; Leaota, 2009) and nowadays is considered the most devastating pest of tomato crops in southern area of the country (Iamandei et a l., 2020). There are numerous studies documenting T. absoluta biology and ecology on new invaded territories, most of them showing the imperative need for efficient and sustainable management methods (Desneux et al., 2010). Giorgini et al. (2019) found that in tomato greenhouses condition the integration of biological control agents (mirid predators and egg parasitoids), microbial insecticides (based on Bacillus thuringiensis), selective chemical insecticides, and sex pheromone- based control has proven adequate and successful. The intensive use of pesticides is the preferred method deployed by farmers to control the pest in Romania. One of the key points for establishing safer and eco- friendly strategy of control is to obtain information about indigenous natural enemies that adapt to this invasive species. The aim of this study was to obtain the first data on T. absoluta natural enemies from the main greenhouse-grown vegetable cultivation areas conditions in southern Romania. 2. Material and methods In our survey, carried out during cropping season of 2020, naturally occurring predators and parasitoids of Tuta absoluta populations on tomato protected crops were evaluated in five greenhouses from four localities belonging to two of the main tomato growing a rea in southern Romania. The type of tomatoes pests control strategi es used by farmers were as follows: (i) “CC” - chemical control consisted of application of conventional pesticides; (ii) “BC” - Biological control