Use of a beneficial nematode against pest mole crickets in Puerto Rico

N. E. Vicente, J. H. Frank and N. C. Leppla

No 256256, 42nd Annual Meeting, July 9-15, 2006, Carolina, Puerto Rico from Caribbean Food Crops Society

Abstract: A beneficial nematode, Steinemema scapterisci (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae), has been researched at the University of Florida and is now marketed as a biopesticide. Its primary target is the mole cricket, Scapteriscus vicinus Scudder (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae), which has been a pest in Florida for about 100 years. The nematode survives so well in Florida's sandy, low-organic soils that it serves as a classical biological control agent to provide permanent suppression of pest mole cricket populations in places to which it has spread. In Puerto Rico and islands of the Lesser Antilles, where there is a much wider range of soils, the primary mole cricket pest is Scapteriscus didactylus (Latreille). Our research evaluates the use of the nematode to control Scapteriscus didactylus. Our earlier results in the field showed establishment and survival for up to seven months in a sandy loam with mole crickets, but no establishment in a highly organic sandy soil with mole crickets. A laboratory bioassay in sterilized sand showed 100% survival of controls, but up to 100% mortality of mole crickets within 168 h dependent upon number of nematodes applied (dose or 'rate'). Laboratory survival of nematodes was poorer in non-sterilized soils than in sterilized soils.

Keywords: Agricultural and Food Policy; Crop Production/Industries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 9
Date: 2006-07-09
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/256256/files/2-15.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:cfcs06:256256

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.256256

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in 42nd Annual Meeting, July 9-15, 2006, Carolina, Puerto Rico from Caribbean Food Crops Society
Bibliographic data for series maintained by AgEcon Search ().