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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Crop Protection and Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #79845
Title: VIRULENCE OF SIX ENTOMOPATHOGENIC NEMATODES (STEINERNEMATIDAE AND HETERORHABDITIDAE) ON IMMATURE STAGES OF SPODOPTERA FRUGIPERDA (LEPIDOPTERA:NOCTUIDAE)

Author
item MOLINA-OCHOA, J. - UNIVERSIDAD DE COLIMA MX
item Hamm, John
item LEZAMA-GUTIERREZ, R. - UNIVERSIDAD DE COLIMA MX
item BOJALIL-JABER, L. - UNIV. AUTONOMA METRO MX
item ARENAS-VARGAS, M. - UNIV. AUTONOMA METRO. MX
item GONZALEZ-RAMIREZ, M. - UNIVERSIDAD DE COLIMA MX

Submitted to: Vedalia
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/1/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The fall armyworm is a serious pest of corn, sorghum, various grasses and occasionally other crops in the United States, Mexico, and other parts of Latin America. As part of the attempt to reduce the amount of chemical insecticide used for protection of agricultural crops, six species of nematodes which attack insects were tested against three immature stages of fall armyworm in the laboratory. There were significant differences among species in pathogenicity to the fall armyworm. Three species of nematodes; Steinernema carpocapsae, Steinernema riobravis, and Heterorhabditis megidis appear to have potential as biocontrol agents against the fall armyworm.

Technical Abstract: Virulence of six species of entomopathogenic nematodes in the genera Steinernema and Heterorhabditis was evaluated against Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) immature stages (7d-old larvae, prepupae and pupae) under laboratory conditions. The nematode concentrations bioassayed against S. frugiperda larvae were 0, 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40 nematodes/ml of sterile distilled water. The prepupae and pupae concentrations were 0, 10, 20, 40, 80, and 100 nematodes/ml. Mortality was recorded daily during 5 d. Results indicated virulence was significantly different among nematode species. The LC50 ranged from 1.5 to 20.6, and 3.4 to 37.2 nematodes/ml for larvae and prepupae, respectively. The pupae had 5-43% mortality with the concentration of 100 nematodes/ml. Results of this study showed S. carpocapsae (Weiser) All strain, S. riobravis Canbanillas, Poinar & Raulston, and H. megidis have potential as biocontrol agents against S. frugiperda.