Virulence of entomopathogenic nematodes and their symbiotic bacteria, under laboratory conditions, aiming controlling Saccharicoccus sacchari (Cockerell, 1895) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) on sugarcane

• Published in: Brazilian journal of biology 2024, Vol.84, p.e253780-5
• Main Authors: Monteiro, G G, Paulo, H H, Nascimento, D D, Pelegrini, G, Lacerda, L M, Chacon-Orozco, J, Leite, L G, Polanczyk, R A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural practices; Animals; Bacteria; BIOLOGY; Chemical pest control; Distilled water; Economic impact; Enterobacterales; Entomopathogenic nematodes; Ethanol; Female; Hemiptera; Heterorhabditidae; Heterorhabditis; Heterorhabditis bacteriophora; Humans; Insecticides; Insects; Integrated pest management; Laboratories; Mortality; Nematodes; Pest control; Pest Control, Biological; Pesticide application; Pesticides; Pests; Photorahbdus; Photorhabdus luminescens; pink sugarcane mealybug; Poaceae; Poales; Pseudococcidae; Rhabditida; Saccharicoccus sacchari; Saccharum; Saccharum spp; Steinernema carpocapsae; Steinernema rarum; Steinernerma; Sugarcane; Thiamethoxam; Virulence; Xenorhabdus; Xenorhabdus nematophila
• ISSN: 1519-6984; 1678-4375; 1678-4375
• DOI: 10.1590/1519-6984.253780

Sugarcane crops Saccharum spp. (Poales: Poaceae) produces different derivatives to the world: sugar, ethanol and bioenergy. Despite the application of pesticides, insect pests still cause economic losses, among these the pink sugarcane mealybug Saccharicoccus sacchari (Cockerell, 1895) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) causing direct and indirect damage to the plant. This study assess the virulence of three entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) species and their symbiont bacteria against the pink sugarcane mealybug, under laboratory conditions. Fourteen treatments represented by control (distilled water), Heterorhabditis bacteriophora Poinar, 1976 (HB EN01) (Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae), Steinernema rarum (Doucet, 1986) (PAM25) and Steinernema carpocapsae Weiser, 1955 (All) (Rhabditida: Steinermatidae) at concentrations of 25, 50, 75 and 100 infective juveniles (IJs)/insect, and the standard chemical product, thiamethoxam, were assayed. In a second experiment, the bacteria Photorhabdus luminescens (Thomas and Poinar, 1979), Xenorhabdus szentirmaii Lengyel, 2005 and Xenorhabdus nematophila (Poinar and Thomas, 1965) (Enterobacterales: Morganellaceae) at 3.0 x 109 cells/ml were assessed for each treatment. Ten replications were stablished, each one counting ten females/mealybugs inside a 10 cm Petri dish, amounting 100 individuals/treatment. All treatments were kept under stable conditions (25±1 ºC, H 70±10%, in the dark). All nematodes species infected S. sacchari. Steinerma rarum (PAM25) provided the highest mortality against the pink sugarcane mealybug (79.25%), followed by H. bacteriophora (HB EN01) (58.25%) and S. carpocapsae (All) (42.50%) (P