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The Effects Of Soil Moisture, Soil Texture, And Host Orientation On The Ability Of Heterorhabditis Bacteriophora (Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae) To Infect Galleria Mellonella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), Suzanne M. Hartley, John R. Wallace
The Effects Of Soil Moisture, Soil Texture, And Host Orientation On The Ability Of Heterorhabditis Bacteriophora (Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae) To Infect Galleria Mellonella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), Suzanne M. Hartley, John R. Wallace
The Great Lakes Entomologist
Abstract
Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) demonstrate potential as a biological control for soil dwelling insects. However, edaphic factors, such as soil moisture and texture impact the efficacy of EPN on a host. The objectives were to examine the effects of soil texture and moisture on 1) the infection rate of Galleria mellonella L. by EPN and; 2) the ability of H. bacteriophora (Poinar) to move through the soil to find a host at different orientations. Soil textures consisted of sand, a sand/silt/peat mixture, and a silt/peat mixture at 50% and 100% moisture. A general linear model was used to evaluate infection …