Entomopathogenic nematodes for the control of phorid and sciarid flies in mushroom crops

Abstract

-The objective of this work was to evaluate the efficacy of two nematodes, Steinernema feltiae and S. carpocapsae, to control mushroom flies and to evaluate the effect of these treatments on Agaricus bisporus production. Two mushroom cultivation trials were carried out in controlled conditions, in substrate previously infested with the diptera Megaselia halterata and Lycoriella auripila, with two treatments: 10 6 infective juveniles (IJ) per square meter of S. feltiae and 0.5x10 6 IJ m -2 S. feltiae + 0.5x10 6 IJ m -2 S. carpocapsae. Another experiment was carried out using the same treatments to evaluate the possible nematode effect on mushroom yield. The number of adults emerging from the substrate was evaluated for each fly species. No decrease in the population of M. halterata was detected with nematode application, whereas the number of L. auripila was reduced in both treatments, particularly in the individual treatment with S. feltiae. The application of entomopathogenic nematodes has no adverse effect on mushroom production.Index terms: Agaricus bisporus, Lycoriella auripila, Megaselia halterata, Steinernema carpocapsae, Steinernema feltiae, biological control. Nematoides entomopatogênicos no controle de moscas Phoridae e Sciaridae em cultivo de cogumelosResumo -O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a eficiência de dois nematoides, Steinernema feltiae e S. carpocapsae, no controle de moscas dos cogumelos e avaliar o efeito desses tratamentos na produção de Agaricus bisporus. Foram realizados dois ensaios de cultivo de cogumelos em condições controladas, em substrato previamente infestado pelos dípteros Megaselia halterata e Lycoriella auripila, com dois tratamentos: 10 6 juvenis infectantes (IJ) por metro quadrado de S. feltiae e 0,5x10 6 IJ m -2 de S. feltiae + 0,5x10 6 IJ m -2 de S. carpocapsae. Foi realizado outro experimento, com uso dos mesmos tratamentos, para avaliar o possível efeito dos nematoides sobre a produção dos cogumelos. Avaliou-se o número de adultos que emergiram no substrato, para cada espécie de mosca. Não foi detectada redução da população de M. halterata com a aplicação de nematoides, enquanto o número de L. auripila foi reduzido em ambos os tratamentos, particularmente no tratamento individual com S. feltiae. A aplicação de nematoides entomopatogênicos não tem efeito adverso na produção de cogumelos.

Microbial Control Agents for Fungus Gnats (Diptera: Sciaridae: Lycoriella) Affecting the Production of Oyster Mushrooms, Pleurotus spp.

“…Yet, an application of S. feltiae immediately after casing of the colonized compost reduced emergence of fungus gnats by 82%. Navarro and Gea [ 30 ] found that treating cased compost with S. feltiae and S. carpocapsae reduced the emergence of Lycoriella auripila Winnertz (Diptera: Sciaridae) but not Megaselia halterata (Wood) (Diptera: Phoridae). Since our study only tested S. feltiae , additional studies are warranted to test S. carpocapsae against fungus gnats infesting oyster mushroom substrates.…”

“…Steinernema feltiae (Filipjev) is effective against various fungus gnat species (Sciaridae), including species infesting A. bisporus production facilities [ 26 ]. Several studies have demonstrated that treatment of compost with S. feltiae suppresses the emergence of dipteran pests impacting A. bisporus production [ 23 , 24 , 27 , 28 ], but other studies found limited or negligible efficacy [ 29 , 30 ]. To date, few studies have assessed the efficacy of S. feltiae for controlling dipteran pests infesting substrates used to grow oyster mushrooms.…”

Nieuwe methoden voor bestrijding van bodemplagen in de glastuinbouw en zomerbloemen. : Deel 2: Literatuurstudie rouwmuggen (Sciaridae) en oevervliegen (Ephydridae)

“…Er zijn al veel studies gedaan naar de effectiviteit van insectparasitaire aaltjes tegen rouwmuggen (Nickle and Cantelo 1991, Grewal and Richardson 1993, Tomalak 1994, Gouge and Hague 1995c, a, b, Harris et al 1995, Hay and Richardson 1995, Rinker et al 1995, Scheepmaker et al 1997, Scheepmaker et al 1998a, Scheepmaker et al 1998b, Vanninen 2003, Jagdale et al 2004, Jagdale et al 2007, Shamshad et al 2008, Ma et al 2013, Navarro and Gea 2014, zowel voor toepassingen in de glastuinbouw en in de champignonteelt. Insectparasitaire aaltjes van de soort Steinernema feltiae worden al op grote schaal commercieel geproduceerd en vormen een belangrijk en effectief alternatief voor de chemische bestrijding van rouwmuggen.…”

Laboratory evaluation of Orthocentrus brachycerus (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), as a potential biological control agent in mushroom cultivation

“…Thus, pest control strategies with low environmental impact, that are food safe, and that are not vulnerable to development of insecticide resistance are needed. In Europe and North America, the pests of the common mushroom, Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Sing., such as sciarids (Diptera: Sciaridae) and phorids (Diptera: Phoridae), are controlled by applying nematodes, microorganisms and predatory mites such as entomopathogenic nematodes of the genus Steinernema (Nematoda: Steinernematidae), S. feltiae (Filipjev) and S. carpocapsae (Weiser) (Erler et al., 2009; Jess & Bingham, 2004; Katumanyane et al., 2018; Navarro & Gea, 2014; Scheepmaker et al., 1998; Shamshad et al., 2008); the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner) var. israelensis (Shamshad, 2010); and predatory mites in the genus Hypoaspis (Acari: Hypoaspidae) (Jess & Bingham, 2004; Jess & Kilpatrick, 2000; Navarro et al., 2020).…”