The Diaprepes root weevil Diaprepes abbreviatus (L.) is a major pest of citrus, ornamentals, and vegetables in Florida and the Caribbean. Entomopathogenic nematodes can provide substantial control of the root feeding larvae, but their efÞcacy can be affected by soil type. Our objective was to determine the effects of three soil types on the control of D. abbreviatus with Steinernema riobrave (C...

BACKGROUND In order to increase our knowledge on the susceptibility of entomopathogenic nematode (EPN) species to agrochemicals, the compatibility of the infective juveniles (IJs) of the EPN (Steinernema and Heterorhabditis) with eight chemical and bio-insecticides was investigated under laboratory conditions. The effect of direct IJ exposure to insecticides for 6 and 24 h was tested in a Petri...

Widespread planting of crops genetically engineered to produce insecticidal toxins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) imposes selection on many key agricultural pests to evolve resistance to Bt. Fitness costs can slow the evolution of Bt resistance. We examined effects of entomopathogenic nematodes on Þtness costs of Bt resistance in the pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saun...

Different species and strains of pathogens and predators differ in their effectiveness as biological control agents of insects. These differences have been well documented for predatory insects, parasitoids, and a number of entomopathogens (9). The importance of such interspecific and intraspecific variation has been recognized and demonstrated for insect-parasitic steinernematids and heterorha...

The present study was aimed at determining the influence of various environmental factors on sex differentiation (SD) in the entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis bacteriophora HP88 strain, under in vivo and in vitro culture conditions. Injection of individual nematodes into last instars of Galleria mellonella resulted in development of a similar number of females and hermaphrodites (35-40%...

The biocontrol potential of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) against soil-dwelling life stages of the onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) was evaluated under laboratory and semi-field conditions. The pathogenicity of native isolate of Steinernema feltiae (T1) and three commercial strains, S. feltiae, S. carpocapsae (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae) and Heterorhabditis b...

Widespread planting of crops genetically engineered to produce insecticidal toxins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) imposes selection on many key agricultural pests to evolve resistance to Bt. Fitness costs can slow the evolution of Bt resistance. We examined effects of entomopathogenic nematodes on fitness costs of Bt resistance in the pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Sau...

We examined inheritance of resistance, feeding behavior, and fitness costs for a laboratory-selected strain of western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), with resistance to maize (Zea maize L.) producing the Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt) toxin Cry3Bb1. The resistant strain developed faster and had increased survival on Bt maize relative to ...

We used nucleotide sequences of the large subunit ribosomal genes (26S rDNA) to examine evolutionary relationships among species of the genus Pratylenchus (Order: Tylenchida, Family: Pratylenchidae), commonly known as root-lesion nematodes. Ten species of Pratylenchus were studied including, P. penetrans, P. crenatus, P. minyus, P. vulnus, P. thornei, P. musicola, P. coffeae, P. hexincisus, P. ...

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) can be highly effective biocontrol agents, but their efficacy can be reduced due to exposure to environmental stress such as from ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Our objectives were to 1) compare UV tolerance among a broad array of EPN species, and 2) investigate the relationship between reduced nematode viability (after exposure to UV) and virulence. Nematodes exp...