A fall trial was conducted to determine the efficacy of two species of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) for the control of larvae of the citrus root weevil, Diaprepes abbreviatus, in a citrus grove with alfisol type soil. Both Steinernema riobrave (Bio Vector 355) as a water dispersible granule and Heterorhabditis indica (GrubstakeTM 100) as a paste on sponge at rates from 22-108 ijs/cm2 failed to reduce larval populations in the tree rhizosphere at 25 days post-treatment. Field and microcosm experiments designed to determine the affect of soils of different composition and texture on nematode efficacy strongly suggest that these field failures were soil related, and that higher clay soil with finer texture reduced host contact or otherwise affected the infection process.
Species 1: Coleoptera Curculionidae Diaprepes abbreviatus (citrus root weevil, Diaprepes root weevil)
Keywords: Heterorhabditis, Steinernema
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA