Biology and use of entomopathogenic nematodes in insect pests biocontrol, a generic view

Abstract

The development of resistance to synthetic insecticides is one of the driving forces for changes in insect pest management. Governments regulatory bodies are in favour of environmentally safe chemicals with low toxicity, short-term persistence, and limited effects on nontarget organisms as predominantly requirements for pesticides registration. Biological control can be considered as a powerful tool and one of the most important alternative control measure providing environmentally safe and sustainable plant protection. The success of biological control will depend on understanding the adaptation and establishment of applied biological control agents in agricultural ecosystems. Microbial pathogens and arthropod biocontrol agents, entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) have been successfully used in agricultural systems. They are highly virulent, killing their hosts quickly and can be cultured easily in vivo or in vitro. They are safe for non-target vertebrates and for the environment, and production costs have been significantly reduced in recent times as they are mass produced in liquid media. Moreover, no difficulties to apply EPNs as they are easily sprayed using standard equipment and can be combined with almost all chemical control compounds. EPNs are widely used to control economically important insect pests in different farming systems: from fruit orchards, cranberry bogs and turf grass to nurseries and greenhouses. The use of EPNs for biocontrol began only in early 1980s and involved a step-by-step scientific and technical development. Mass production of the nematodes played a key role in the commercially development of insect pests control with nematodes.