The effect of moisture stress upon the hatching of Nematodirus battus larvae

An experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of soil moisture stress upon the hatching behaviour of Nematodirus battus. The method involved the use of polyethylene glycol solutions to maintain a steady osmotic pressure around a soil containing N. battus eggs, which were ready to hatch. Different concentrations of polyethylene glycol (creating different moisture stresses) were found to affect the numbers and the rate of egg hatching markedly.