Annals of Applied Biology (1996) 128, 117-126

M.J. Wilson, L.A. Hughes, G.M. Hamacher, L.D. Barahona and D.M. Glen (1996)
Effects of soil incorporation on the efficacy of the rhabditid nematode, Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita, as a biological control agent for slugs
Annals of Applied Biology 128 (1), 117-126
Abstract: The effects of soil cultivation immediately after application of the rhabditid nematode, Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita, to the soil surface were investigated in two field experiments. The first experiment was done in mini-plots separated by barriers, with an artificially introduced population of slugs (Deroceras reticulatum). Nematodes were applied as a drench at a rate of 3 x 10⁹ ha^-1 in one of two application volumes and then left undisturbed or incorporated into the soil by cultivation to 2 cm or 10 cm depth. Moist soil conditions were maintained by irrigation throughout the experiment. Nematode application significantly reduced slug damage to Chinese cabbage seedlings throughout the 7 wk duration of the experiment and the population of D. reticulatum in soil 7 wk after treatment. However, soil cultivation had no effect and did not interact with the effect of nematodes. In the second experiment, in a crop of winter wheat, nematodes were applied to soil by hand-lance at a rate of 3 x 10⁹ ha^-1 and left undisturbed on the soil surface or incorporated by spring-time cultivation to a depth of 2, 5 or 10 cm. In this experiment, nematodes were applied to dry soil. Cultivation alone had no effect. Nematode application reduced slug damage to wheat plants in plots where nematodes were incorporated into the soil, but not where they were left on the surface. There was no detectable impact of nematodes on slug populations in the wheat experiment.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): David M. Glen, Michael J. Wilson

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
environment/habitat manipulation
application technology

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Deroceras reticulatum	Brassica - other species	United Kingdom
Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita (pathogen)	Deroceras reticulatum	Brassica - other species	United Kingdom