The potential impacts on natural enemies of crops that produce insecticidal Cry proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are an important part of an environmental risk assessment. Entomopathogenic nematodes are important natural enemies of lepidopteran pests, and the effects of Bt crops on these nontarget organisms should be investigated to avoid disruption of their biological control function...

Entomopathogenic nematodes are potent biopesticides that can be mass-produced by in vitro or in vivo methods. For in vivo production, consistently high infection rates are critical to efficiency of the process. Our objective was to optimize in vivo inoculation of Steinernema carpocapsae and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora in Galleria mellonella and Tenebrio molitor by determining effects of inocu...

Simultaneous use of parasitoids and entomopathogenic nematodes for codling moth (CM) control could produce an antagonistic interaction between the two groups resulting in death of the parasitoid larvae. Two ectoparasitic ichneumonid species, Mastrus ridibundus and Liotryphon caudatus, imported for classical biological control of cocooned CM larvae were studied regarding their interactions with ...

For protection of stored agricultural products in ware house, grain store and food processing factory from insect damage, control measures should be taken. Stored pests are difficult to control. Though chemical insecticides effective controlling pests, other environment friendly methods have been advocated. Entomopathogenic nematodes potential bio agent for management pests. In this review rese...

Geothermal soils in Central Italy are characterized by high temperatures (up to 60°C), low pH values, and sparse vegetation. The biodiversity of entomopathogenic soil fungi nematodes has never been assessed these areas. Soil samples (N = 12) separated from each other at least 100 meters were collected the areas Le Biancane Natural Park (Grosseto) Sasso Pisano (Pisa). Galleria bait method was us...

Evolution of resistance by pests can reduce the efficacy oftransgenic crops that produce insecticidal toxins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt). In conjunction with refuges of non-Bt host plants, fitness costs can delay the evolution of resistance. Furthermore, fitness costs often vary with ecological conditions, suggesting that agricultural landscapes can be manipulated to...

Insulin-like (ins) peptides play an important role in development and metabolism across the metazoa. In nematodes, these are also required for dauer formation and longevity and are expressed in different types of neurons across various life stages which demonstrate their role in parasites and could become possible targets for parasite control. To date, many nematode genomes are publically avail...

habditid nematodes of the Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae family are lethal to a broad range of economically important insect pests (Journey and Ostlie, 2000). Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) are often applied to sites and ecosystems that routinely receive other inputs that may interact with nematodes, including chemical pesticides, fertilizers, and soil amendments (De Nardo and Grewal,...

Introduction Nematophagous and entomopathogenic fungi (NEF) comprise an important group of fungal parasites of invertebrates (FPI). NEF belong to a wide range of fungal taxa, but most of them are anamorphic fungi and facultative parasites. These fungi can infect, kill and digest nematodes and insects, respectively, which we will call their canonical, or normal, hosts. These hosts have barriers ...

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are unique parasites due to their symbiosis with entomopathogenic bacteria and their ability to kill insect hosts quickly after infection. It is widely believed that EPNs rely on their bacterial partners for killing hosts. Here we disproved this theory by demonstrating that the in vitro activated infective juveniles (IJs) of Steinernema carpocapsae (a well-stud...