Nematode Culture and Application
Three species of entomopathogenic nematodes, S.
riobrave, H. bacteriophora, and H. indica, as commercial
products formulated as a liquid, a water-dispersible
granule, a paste, or on a sponge, were used in these
inundative field studies. In all trials, regardless of formulation,
nematodes were kept cool (;15°C) both in
storage and in the field prior to tank mixing. Prior to
field application, the viability of each nematode preparation
was determined microscopically by counting
the number of motile and dead infective juveniles in a
fixed number of fields of view at 603 magnification.
Immobile nematodes exhibiting movement when
probed with a dissecting needle were viable. In trials 1
and 2, nematode viability was used to adjust for the
desired field rate selected for experimentation. In trial
3, the field rate was calculated based on the number of
nematodes designated on the label. See Table 1 for a
summary on nematode viability and other factors relating
to the field trials.