<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>
<italic>Spodoptera litura</italic> is a notorious leaf feeding insect pest in the Asia-Pacific region and leads to a significant economic loss in vegetable and field crop production. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs), lethal parasites of insects, are used as biocontrol agents. Yunnan Province in China is a well-known region due to its rich biodiversity. In the present study, a survey of EPNs using the <italic>Galleria</italic>-baiting technique was conducted in 2017 and 2018 throughout the entire Yunnan province. In total, 789 soil samples were collected from 232 sites, of which 75 samples were positive for EPNs. Phylogenetic analyses of ITS, D2D3 expansion region of the 28S rRNA gene, as well as mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), were performed to identify isolated nematode species and evaluate their genetic diversity. In total, 13, 3, and 58 identified populations belong to <italic>Steinernema</italic>, <italic>Heterorhabditis</italic>, and <italic>Oscheius</italic>, respectively. The phylogenetic relationships of EPN species in the three genera were analyzed with the Neighbor-Joining method. The virulence of the trapped isolates in the genera of <italic>Steinernema</italic>, <italic>Heterorhabditis</italic>, and <italic>Oscheius</italic> against <italic>S. litura</italic> was evaluated. Ten new indigenous isolates from <italic>Steinernema</italic> and <italic>Heterorhabditis</italic> showed prominent virulence to <italic>S. litura</italic> within 48 hr which is equivalent to that of commercial EPNs populations. The present study provides background information on indigenous EPN resources for <italic>S. litura</italic> control in Asia-Pacific region.</p>
</abstract>

Spodoptera litura is a notorious leaf feeding insect pest in the Asia-Pacific region and leads to a significant economic loss in vegetable and field crop production. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs), lethal parasites of insects, are used as biocontrol agents. Yunnan Province in China is a well-known region due to its rich biodiversity. In the present study, a survey of EPNs using the Galleria-baiting technique was conducted in 2017 and 2018 throughout the entire Yunnan province. In total, 789 soil samples were collected from 232 sites, of which 75 samples were positive for EPNs. Phylogenetic analyses of ITS, D2D3 expansion region of the 28S rRNA gene, as well as mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), were performed to identify isolated nematode species and evaluate their genetic diversity. In total, 13, 3, and 58 identified populations belong to Steinernema, Heterorhabditis, and Oscheius, respectively. The phylogenetic relationships of EPN species in the three genera were analyzed with the Neighbor-Joining method. The virulence of the trapped isolates in the genera of Steinernema, Heterorhabditis, and Oscheius against S. litura was evaluated. Ten new indigenous isolates from Steinernema and Heterorhabditis showed prominent virulence to S. litura within 48 hr which is equivalent to that of commercial EPNs populations. The present study provides background information on indigenous EPN resources for S. litura control in Asia-Pacific region.

<article-title xml:lang="en">Evaluation of indigenous entomopathogenic nematodes in Southwest China as potential biocontrol agents against <italic>Spodoptera litura</italic> (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Journal of Nematology

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Evaluation of indigenous entomopathogenic nematodes in Southwest China as potential biocontrol agents against  (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Spodoptera litura is a notorious leaf feeding insect pest in the Asia-Pacific region and leads to a significant economic loss in vegetable and field crop...

Evaluation of indigenous entomopathogenic nematodes in Southwest China as potential biocontrol agents against Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Published Online: Nov 22, 2021

Page range: 1 - 17

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21307/jofnem-2021-083

Keywords
Phylogeny, Biocontrol

© 2021 Bingjiao Sun et al., published by Sciendo.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Evaluation of indigenous entomopathogenic nematodes in Southwest China as potential biocontrol agents against Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Published Online: Nov 22, 2021

Page range: 1 - 17

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21307/jofnem-2021-083

KeywordsPhylogeny, Biocontrol

© 2021 Bingjiao Sun et al., published by Sciendo.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
Phylogeny, Biocontrol