Abstract
The use of entomopathogenic nematodes as safe biopesticidal alternatives to hazardous chemicals entails improving the prediction of their native efficacy against soil pests. The effect of ten inorganic fertilizers, used extensively in Egypt, on the virulence of indigenous Steinernema glaseri and peanut germination was examined herein. The nematode added either before or tank-mixed with 1%, 5%, and 10% concentrations of each fertilizer in a peanut field was sampled 1 and 7 days before and 1, 7, 14, 21, 28, 49, and 56 post-tank mixes to check for S. glaseri virulence via baiting soil with Galleria mellonella larvae. Phosphorus fertilizers had more adverse effects than others on S. glaseri virulence and peanut germination. Plots with only S. glaseri had high germination close to chlorpyrifos. Averages of insect mortality in soil samples of potassium, nitrogen: phosphorus: potassium (NPK), nitrogenous, and phosphorus fertilizers, and non-fertilized checks (nematode only) were 85.8, 83.8, 80, 69.2%, and 93.3% respectively. Using S. glaseri is preferred before fertilizing. Most 1% fertilizer concentrations are compatible with S. glaseri in tank mixes for short-term (1–7 days) insect control but may affect long-term control.
Highlights
Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) cultivation ranks high in Egypt as an important edible oilseed and cash crop and a suitable plant for growth in the newly reclaimed regions of Egypt [1]
Baiting with sentinel G. mellonella larvae to recover entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) from soil samples was negative before the addition of S. glaseri (Sg-EG) in all treatments, indicating their absence in the area
Soil samples resulted positive to EPNs only after S. glaseri was exogenously added to the plots
Summary
Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) cultivation ranks high in Egypt as an important edible oilseed and cash crop and a suitable plant for growth in the newly reclaimed regions of Egypt [1]. Such reclaimed areas usually have various problems, especially with sandy soil, which is often deficient in plant nutrients but infested with various pests and pathogens. These problems apply to other paramount crops such as tomato, potato, citrus, and strawberry that can provide increasingly foreign exchange revenue [2,3,4,5]. The peanut crop is eventually infected by many insect pests
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