Abstract
The spittlebug can seriously limit the production of forage, and the use of chemical products to control insect pests is costly and can harm the environment. Thus, there is a need to reduce the reliance on chemical agents by developing new strategies. The virulence of nine strains of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) to spittlebugs was investigated under laboratory and greenhouse conditions. Fourth/fifth-instar nymphs of Mahanarva spectabilis were exposed to EPNs in the laboratory and the most virulent strains were applied on the nymphs in the greenhouse at concentrations of 2,000 and 4,000 EPNs/mL. The efficacy of the pathogenic agent was confirmed by the dissection of dead hosts. All the tested strains were pathogenic to the M. spectabilis nymphs in laboratory, particularly Steinernema carpocapsae, S. feltiae, S. riobrave and Heterorhabditis amazonensis RSC1, each of which caused nymph mortality higher than 80%. The concentration did not influence the efficiency of the strains, and those selected in the laboratory had similar efficiency in the greenhouse, except for S. carpocapsae, which was not as effective as the others. Entomopathogenic nematodes can be included in integrated pest management programs to M. spectabilis.
Highlights
The spittlebug Mahanarva spectabilis (Distant, 1909) (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) can seriously limit forage production, and according to Holmann; Peck (2002), the production of meat or milk by cattle left to graze in pastures heavily infested with spittlebugs (50 adults/m2) can decrease up to 54%, and the production cost can increase up to 30% because of this infestation level
There is the need to reduce the reliance on chemical agents by developing integrated pest management programs
As part of this effort, attention has been focused on developing forage grasses that are resistant to spittlebugs (Auad et al, 2007) and for the use of biological control agents
Summary
The spittlebug Mahanarva spectabilis (Distant, 1909) (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) can seriously limit forage production, and according to Holmann; Peck (2002), the production of meat or milk by cattle left to graze in pastures heavily infested with spittlebugs (50 adults/m2) can decrease up to 54%, and the production cost can increase up to 30% because of this infestation level.The use of chemical products to control insect pests is costly and can harm the environment. There is the need to reduce the reliance on chemical agents by developing integrated pest management programs As part of this effort, attention has been focused on developing forage grasses that are resistant to spittlebugs (Auad et al, 2007) and for the use of biological control agents. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are among the most promising potential biological control agent,because of the speed with which they kill the host, the facility of mass producing them at low cost and the broad spectrum of susceptible hosts (Georgis et al, 2006) They can be used together with other measures, including the application of chemical products (Koppenhöfer et al, 2002; Reis-Menini et al, 2008). EPNs have the ability to find hosts that have cryptic habits (Kaya; Gaugler, 1993), such as spittlebugs
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