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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Byron, Georgia » Fruit and Tree Nut Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #367687
Research Project: New Tools for Managing Key Pests of Pecan and Peach

Location: Fruit and Tree Nut Research

Title: An innovative strategy for control of fungus gnats using entomopathogenic nematodes alone or in combination with waterlogging

Author
item CHEN, CHAOYING - Nankai University
item MA, HAIKUN - Nankai University
item ZHENG, SHUYUAN - Nankai University
item MA, MINGYANG - Nankai University
item LI, JING-JING - Nankai University
item WU, FANYU - Nankai University
item ZHOU, TINGTING - Nankai University
item GU, XINHUI - China National Tobacco Corporation Nanjing Compamy
item GAO, YUBAO - Nankai University
item Shapiro Ilan, David
item RUAN, WEIBIN - Nankai University

Submitted to: Journal of Nematology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/23/2020
Publication Date: 7/8/2020
Citation: Chen, C., Ma, H., Zheng, S., Ma, M., Li, J., Wu, F., Zhou, T., Gu, Xinhui, Gao, Yubao, Shapiro Ilan, D.I., Ruan, Weibin 2020. An innovative strategy for control of fungus gnats using entomopathogenic nematodes alone or in combination with waterlogging. Journal of Nematology. 52:1-9. https://doi.org/10.21307/jofnem-2020-052.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21307/jofnem-2020-052

Interpretive Summary: Entomopathogenic nematodes, also called beneficial nematodes, are small round worms that attack and reproduce within insects, they are safe to the environment and to humans, making them a great alternative to insecticides. One potential pest that these nematodes can control is the chive gnat (a small fly that attacks chive crops). However, the efficacy of pest control using beneficial nematodes may not be sufficient as a stand-alone tactic. Therefore, we explored waterlogging as a method of pest control. Waterlogging means exposing the crop to short periods of flooding, which may suffocate the pests in the soil. Waterlogging for two or four hours caused mortality in the chive gnats. Furthermore, the combination of waterlogging and beneficial nematodes had synergistic effects on chive gnat mortality; the combination led to higher mortality than using either of the treatments alone. Our study demonstrated that a combination of two environmentally friendly methods of fungus gnat control can lead to synergistic effects, and thus provide novel approaches toward sustainable agriculture.

Technical Abstract: Chive gnat (Bradysia odoriphaga) is a soil-borne pest of Chinese chives. To find a sustainable method of reducing the chive gnat, we evaluated the effects of waterlogging and the addition of entomopathogenic nematode (EPN) on reducing chive gnat in Chinese chives. The approach was assessed in three pot experiments and one field demonstration. Results indicated that increasing waterlogging time led to increased death of chive gnats. The presence of EPN also caused chive gnat mortality. Most importantly, the combination of waterlogging and EPN had synergistic effects on chive gnat mortality; the combination led to higher mortality than using either of the treatments alone. Our study demonstrated that a combination of two environmentally friendly methods of fungus gnat control can lead to synergistic effects, and thus provide novel approaches toward sustainable agriculture.