Agricultural and Forest Entomology (2022) 24, 600-608

Itamar Glazer, Giacomo Santoiemma, Andrea Battisti, Francesca De Luca, Elena Fanelli, Alberto Troccoli, Eustachio Tarasco, Stefano Sacchi, Alessandro Bianchi, Gianni Gilioli, Pamela Gherardo and Nicola Mori (2022)
Invasion of Popillia japonica in Lombardy, Italy: Interactions with soil entomopathogenic nematodes and native grubs
Agricultural and Forest Entomology 24 (4), 600-608
Abstract: - The recent invasion of the Japanese beetle Popillia japonica Newman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in northern Italy offered the opportunity to explore the entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) associated with the soil of hay meadows.
- A total of 61 sites were considered for nematode sampling, and from 17 of them (27.9%) EPNs were isolated and further characterized with molecular and morphological techniques as well as with laboratory bioassays.
- Two main species, Heterorhabditis bacteriophora Poinar (Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae) and Steinernema carpocapsae Weiser (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae) were recorded with the same frequency together with a few other species (Rhabditida: Oscheius sp. and Phasmarhabditis sp.).
- The newly isolated EPN populations were characterized for their activity (penetration rate) and infectivity to P. japonica grubs.
- EPNs occurrence was related to the time of beetle invasion at each sampling site and there was evidence of a density-dependent response of the EPNs community to P. japonica density.
- The invasion of P. japonica apparently did not significantly affect the occurrence of native grubs, although a tendency to a decline was observed and should be further investigated.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Full text of article
Database assignments for author(s): Andrea Battisti, Francesca De Luca, Alberto Troccoli, Nicola Mori

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
general biology - morphology - evolution

---

Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Popillia japonica	Grasses/turf/rangeland	Italy
Steinernema carpocapsae/Xenorhabdus nematophila (entomopathogen)	Popillia japonica	Grasses/turf/rangeland	Italy
Heterorhabditis bacteriophora/Photorhabdus (entomopathogen)	Popillia japonica	Grasses/turf/rangeland	Italy