Mustard (Brassica and Sinapis spp.) green manures tilled into the soil preceding potato crops act as biofumigants that are toxic to plant–parasitic nematodes, providing an alternative to synthetic soil fumigants. However, it is not known whether mustard green manures also kill beneficial entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) that contribute to the control of pest insects. We used sentinel insect pr...

Temperature gradient fluctuations that occur naturally as a result of heating and cooling of the soil surface were reproduced within 15-cm-d, 15-cm-long acrylic tubes filled with moist sand. Sunny and rainy periods during the late summer in eastern Texas were simulated. Five ecologically different nematode species were adapted to fluctuating temperatures for 20-36 hours at a simulated depth of ...

The ability of entomopathogenic nematodes to tolerate environmental stress such as desiccating or freezing conditions, can contribute significantly to biocontrol efficacy. Thus, in selecting which nematode to use in a particular biocontrol program, it is important to be able to predict which strain or species to use in target areas where environmental stress is expected. Our objectives were to ...

Soil samples were collected from the whole territory of the Czech Republic, and the presence of entomopathogenic nematodes from the families Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae was evaluated by Galleria traps method. Of the 342 samples studied, 53.8% were positive for entomopathogenic nematodes with only one positive for the heterorhabditid, Heterorhabditis megidis Poinar, Jackson et Klein, ...