Long-term storage does not affect the infectivity of entomopathogenic nematodes on insect hosts

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are effective biopesticides used in insect control. There are several formulations of entomopathogenic nematodes which are commercially available, but their popularity is low because the requirement of periodic release of stored entomopathogenic nematodes in field has reduced infectivity and is a constraint in large-scale repeated application of entomopathogenic nematodes in field. So, in order to overcome this impediment, the current study focuses on storage of entomopathogenic nematodes for a longer period of time using encapsulating beads. In this study, three EPNs, namely, Steinernema carpocapsae, Steinernema monticolum, and Rhabditis blumi, were encapsulated with Arabic gum and sodium alginate gel beads at different concentrations. Bio-efficacy of stored EPNs at different concentrations (50, 100, 200, 500, and 1000 infective juveniles (IJs)) in varying time intervals of 3, 6, 9, and 12 weeks were tested against Culex quinquefasciatus larvae. The results show that, after 3 weeks of storage, these entomopathogenic nematode species showed survival up to 96%, and in 12-week storage, survival rate was 50%. The virulence of the progeny that emerged from these stored entomopathogenic nematodes was similar to the fresh infective juveniles. The results of the present study show that Arabic gum-sodium alginate combination is a promising approach toward storing entomopathogenic nematodes. Furthermore, semi-field trials showed 70-90% larval mortality at a concentration of 3000 IJs (encapsulated and stored entomopathogenic nematodes in S. monticolum, S. carpocapsae, and R. blumi) on C. quinquefasciatus larvae. KEY POINTS: • Increased survival of stored EPNs (S. carpocapsae, S. monticolum, and R. blumi) in encapsulated gel using Arabic gum, sodium alginate, and yeast cells was assessed. • The efficacy was greater in stored EPNs at different concentrations from 3 to 12 weeks. • Semi-field trials of stored encapsulated EPNs are efficient in mosquito larval control.