Abstract
Despite many advantages of employing entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) as biocontrol agents against soil-dwelling insect pests, their use is still limited to home gardening or small-scale farming. Lack of cost-effective, durable formulations, as well as appropriate application methods have so far prevented the use of EPN in large-scale farming. A recent report on alginate capsules as a novel EPN formulation for application into the soil shows promise. However, EPNs often readily escaped from these capsules within a few days especially when they are not refrigerated. To improve EPN retainment, we adjusted capsule properties by changing the reaction temperature for capsule formation and by adopting post-treatment of alginate capsules with excessive Ca2+, and then evaluated EPN escape from the capsules manufactured under different conditions. While capsules with the hardest capsule shell were produced at 4 °C with the Ca2+ post-treatment, the 40 % enhanced EPN retainment was achieved only by lowering the reaction temperature.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Dr. Thomas Degen for his illustration included in this paper. This work was supported by a grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation (Grant No. 51NF40-144621).
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10526_2014_9638_MOESM1_ESM.tif
Fig. S1. The capsule hardness tester used in this research (Illustration: Dr. Thomas Degen). The tester is made of aluminum except for the plastic base. Details on the dimensions of the capsule holder are also provided. The devise is used by placing a Ca2+-alginate capsule in the capsule holder and pulling down the spring scale (Pesola AG, Baar, Switzerland) until the capsule bursts, at which the scale is recorded. Measurements were made with a 300-g spring scale instead of a 1-kg spring scale shown in the figure. (TIFF 1143 kb)
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Kim, J., Jaffuel, G. & Turlings, T.C.J. Enhanced alginate capsule properties as a formulation of entomopathogenic nematodes. BioControl 60, 527–535 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-014-9638-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-014-9638-z