Steinernema carpocapsae (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae) as a biological control agent against the fungus gnat Bradysia agrestis (Diptera: Sciaridae) in propagation houses

A recently introduced fungus gnat, Bradysia agrestis, has caused serious problems in Korean propagation houses where vegetable seedlings are produced for transplant into the fields. Although chemical insecticides are available against this pest, alternate control measures are needed. A Korean isolate of the entomopathogenic nematode, Steinernema carpocapsae Pocheon strain, was tested against this insect in the laboratory and propagation house. In the laboratory, S. carpocapsae affected oviposition, with the untreated females laying an average of 121 +/- 25 eggs, whereas the treated females averaged 7 +/- 2 eggs. The infectivity of S. carpocapsae to the fungus gnat was affected by the developmental stage and temperature, with highest mortality observed with the third and fourth instars and pupal stage. Nematode mortality in the second instar fungus gnat ranged between 23 and 35%, but showed no significant differences among the temperatures tested. The egg and first instar were not infected by the nematode. In nematode dispersal studies, adult female fungus gnats alone dispersed S. carpocapsae from the nematode-treated area to the control area at a higher rate than male and female gnats or male gnats alone. In the propagation house experiments with watermelon seedlings, no significant difference was observed in fungus gnat larval reduction at S. carpocapsae concentrations of 5, 10, or 20 infective juveniles (IJs)/g of soil at 7, 14, and 21 days after treatment. In comparison with the control, the S. carpocapsae treatments significantly reduced B. agrestis larval numbers. When the watermelon seed was treated with S. carpocapsae at sowing, the larval density of B. agrestis was significantly reduced, that is, the number of B. agrestis larvae ranged from four to eight and from five to eight in the nematode-treated plots compared with 26 and 30 in the control plots on the 17th and 34th day post-treatment, respectively. In the chemical insecticide treatments, diflubenzuron and chlorpyrifos were significantly more effective than S. carpocapsae and diazinon in reducing larval populations of the fungus gnat. Our data show that, although some of the chemical insecticides were more effective than S. carpocapsae Pocheon strain, the nematode was still an effective tool for management of the fungus gnat larvae and in protecting seedlings from damage in propagation houses.