INFECTIVITY OF NEOAPLECTANA-CARPOCAPSAE AND HETERORHABDITIS-HELIOTHIDIS TO PUPAE OF PARASITE APANTELES-MILITARIS

  • 1 January 1978
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 10  (3) , 241-244
Abstract
The infectivity of N. carpocapsae and H. heliothidis to A. militaris, a gregarious parasite of the armyworm [Pseudaletia unipuncta] was determined at 100, 1000, 5000 and 10,000 nematodes per petri dish. For both nematode species, the percentage of infected A. militaris within a cocoon cluster decreased as inoculum levels decreased. At the highest inoculum level, N. carpocapsae infected an average of 32% of the parasite pupae within a cocoon cluster, whereas H. heliothidis infected an average of 22%. Covariance analysis indicated that N. carpocapsae had significantly greater infectivity than H. heliothidis. Some of the dauer juveniles of N. carpocapsae on the body of the armywdrm contacted the emerging parasites and eventually became enveloped within the silken cocoons. Dauer juveniles produced by N. carpocapsae in parasite pupae could not penetrate and escape from silken cocoons even when the cocoons were placed in a moist environment.

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