APPLICATION TO SMALL-SCALE FIELD OF STEINERNEMA RIOBRAVIS CABANILLAS, POINAR & RAULSTON, 1994 (NEMATODA, STEINERNEMATIDAE), THERMO TRILOGY STRAIN AGAINST NEOCURTILLA CLARAZIANA (SAUSSURE, 1874) (ORTHOPTERA, GRYLLOTALPIDAE) IN GARDENS OF LA PLATA, ARGENTIN

Abstract

Steinernema riobravis Cabanillas, Poinar & Raulston, 1994, Thermo Trilogy strain (Nematoda, Steinernematidae) was the nematode species used for application to small-scale field against Neocurtilla claraziana (Saussure, 1874) (Orthoptera, Gryllotalpidae), a pest of soil in three gardens of Gran La Plata, Argentina. Assays were performed with dosages of 6,000, 10,000, 20,000, 40,000 and 80,000 nematodes per 3 m2, with a density of 32 ± 7 mole crickets/3 m2. The application was performed with hand sprayer. The percentages of effectiveness varied in different gardens, the first lower dose was 65% ± 15.67 and the highest dose was 83% ± 22.25, with ± 80% being the average dose 18.56. For the second garden 50% ± 8.31 for the low dose and 76% ± 21.15 for medium and higher, and for the third garden the lower dose was 42 ± 15.87%, the highest dose of 66% ± 18.32 and the mean dose of 60 ± 17.92%. We observed in the first three days posttreatment the highest percentages of infection for all doses, on day seven effectiveness for different doses significantly decreased nearing the end of post-treatment (day 31) with 0% for the three trials. This study demonstrated the potential of entomopathogenic nematodes as biological control agents, resulting in the introduced entomonematodo as an effective biological control agent for mole crickets.