4 5Experiments were conducted to determine the effectiveness and profitability of the Mi-6 resistance gene on tomato in suppressing populations of Meloidogyne javanica in a plastic-7 house with a natural infestation of the nematode. Experiments were also conducted to test 8 for virulence and durability of the resistance. Monika (Mi-gene resistant) and Durinta 9 (susceptible) tomato cultivars were cropped for three consecutive seasons in non-fumigated 10 or in soil fumigated with methyl bromide at 75 g m -2 and at a cost of 2.44 euros m -2 . 11

The effect of Pochonia chlamydosporia , a facultative fungal parasite of nematode eggs, alone or in combination with oxamyl was evaluated in a double-cropping system of lettuce and tomato in unheated plastic houses infested with Meloidogyne javanica at two sites for two consecutive growing seasons. An additional treatment of methyl bromide fumigation was included to compare crop yield in nematode-free vs. nematode-infested soil. Final population densities, reproductive rate, root gall rating, and egg production were determined after each crop. Pochonia chlamydosporia was isolated from nematode eggs up to nine months after application to soil. The fungus survived in the rhizosphere for the entire growing season at one site, but only at low densities. Final population densities of M. javanica decreased after cultivation of lettuce and increased after tomato, and this pattern of population fluctuation was unaffected by treatment, experiment or site. The reproductive rate on lettuce was equal to or below 1, and it was similar among treatments in both experiments at both sites. Eggs were not found on lettuce roots. On tomato, the reproductive rate in the fungus + oxamyl treatment was significantly lower ( P < 0·05) than other treatments in experiment 1 at both sites. Fungus + oxamyl consistently reduced root gall ratings on tomato in all cases, but numbers of eggs per g root varied depending on treatment. Methyl bromide-treated plots remained free of M. javanica at the end of the 2-year study.

No abstract

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) are excellent biocontrol agents against various insect pests. Novel biotechnological approaches can enhance their utility against insects above-ground, opening a new venue for selecting superior EPN against certain insects. We hypothesize that different populations of the same species but from different origins (habitat, ecoregion) will differ in their virulence. This study aimed to evaluate the virulence of various EPN populations against two pests of worldwide incidence and damage to high value crops: Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) and Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae). We tested 10 EPN populations belonging to three EPN species: Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (Koppert, MG-618b, AM-203, RM-102), Steinernema feltiae (Koppert, RS-5, AM-25, RM-107), and Steinernema carpocapsae (Koppert, MG-596a). Each EPN population was tested at two concentrations. Frankliniella occidentalis was tested at 160 and 80 IJs/cm 2 and T. absoluta at 21 and 4 IJs/cm 2 . Control treatments followed the same experimental procedure but only adding distilled water. Overall, whenever different, higher IJs concentration resulted in lower adult emergence, higher larval mortality, and shorter time to kill the insects. Considering the low concentration, S. feltiae provided the best results for both insects and instars investigated, while H. bacteriophora and S. carpocapsae required a high concentration to reach similar or slightly better results. Differences among populations of each of the species were detected, but only the native populations of H. bacteriophora populations showed consistently higher control values against both insects/instar compared with the commercial one. Differences among S. feltiae and S. carpocapsae populations depended on the IJs concentration, insect, and instar. We consider S. feltiae a very promising species for their application against F. occidentalis and T. absoluta , with the Koppert population as the most consistent among the populations tested. Specific EPN-populations of S. carpocapsae and H. bacteriophora were good candidates against certain instar/insects at high concentrations. This study emphasized the importance of intraspecific variability for EPN virulence.

No abstract