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Turkish Journal of Zoology

DOI

10.3906/zoo-2104-53

Abstract

The Neotropical brown stink bug Euschistus heros and the green-belly stink bug Dichelops melacanthus are the most important pests today for the succession system of soy-corn in Brazil. Dichelops melacanthus attacks the emerging shoot (epicotyl) of corn plants at the seedling stage of their development, remaining and reproducing on the straw over generations. Euschistus heros, on the other hand, feeds directly on the grains and lodge under fallen leaves after the soybean harvest, due to the absence of another crop host. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are capable of killing insects due to their ability to search for the host in the soil and to their associations with symbiotic bacteria that cause pathogenesis. This work aimed to assess strains of EPNs and their symbiotic bacteria regarding their potential to control adults of E. heros and D. melacanthus. Entomopathogenic nematodes could be used to kill the stink bugs adults remaining over the straws, while the symbiotic bacteria could be used to kill these insects above ground, and these bacteria are much easier to produce compared to the EPNs. To assess EPNs and their simbiotic bacteria, tests were conducted in the laboratory and under greenhouse conditions. The nematodes S. diaprepesi AM163, S. carpocapsae All and S. carpocapsae IP1 caused 100% mortality of E. heros on the sand substrate, at the rate of 140 IJs/cm² (1000 IJs/insect). The symbiotic bacteria tested topically provided low mortality of E. heros (

Keywords

Pest management, biological control, Pentatomidae, Steinernema, Heterorhabditis

First Page

356

Last Page

371

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