Environmental Entomology (1989) 18, 1136-1140

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Ho Yul Choo, Harry K. Kaya, T.M. Burlando and Randy Gaugler (1989)
Entomopathogenic nematodes: host-finding ability in the presence of plant roots
Environmental Entomology 18 (6), 1136-1140
Abstract: The host-finding ability of Heterorhabditis heliothidis (Khan, Brooks, and Hirschmann) and Steinernema feltiae Filipjev in the presence of plant roots in sandy soil was investigated. During a 7-d period, host-finding ability of H. heliothidis was not impaired when the dried root weights of corn, tomato, or marigold plants were <1.6 g or of S: feltiae when dried root weights were <3.6 g. For example, host mortality by H. heliothidis was 85% for controls (no roots) and 85% for corn roots (1.6 g); host mortality by S. feltiae was 21% for controls and 16% for corn roots (3.6 g). However, host mortalities between controls and corn roots for H. heliothidis during a 2-d period showed significant differences when root weights were >1.5 g. Thus, treatments with root weights >1.5 g had significantly lower host mortalities (range, 27-50%) compared with control treatments (range, 73-96%); treatments with root weights <1.2 g showed no significant difference (range, 79-80.%) compared with control treatments (range, 82-85%). Linear regression suggested a relationship between root weight and host mortality. Increasing root weight (x) significantly lowered percentage (y) host mortality (y = 81.8 -7.5(x), r2 = 0.57, P = 0.0001). Although significant differences between controls and roots >1.5 g were observed for H. heliothidis, this nematode species showed greater motility, hence greater host-finding ability, than S. feltiae in the presence of roots because host mortality occurred over a shorter period of time with higher mortality rates and with fewer nematodes.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Database assignments for author(s): Harry K. Kaya, Ho Yul Choo

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


Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial Pest/Disease/Weed Crop/Product Country Quarant.


Steinernema feltiae/Xenorhabdus bovienii (entomopathogen)
Heterorhabditis heliothidis (entomopathogen)