INFECTIVITY OF PASTEURIA PENETRANS TO ENTOMOPATHOGENIC NEMATODES

Abstract

The infectivity of an Indian isolate of Pasteuria penetrans (PMI-1) to isolates of the entomopathogenic nematodes Steinernema sp. and Heterorhabditis sp, was tested in aqueous suspensions. Spores of P. penetrans did not attach to any of the entomopathogenic nematodes even after 72 hours of exposure at 25 °C, while in the case of Meloidogyne incognita, from which the bacterium was originally isolated, spore attachment was observed after 24 hours of exposure. These results indicate that P. penetrans, a parasite of phytonematodes, does not adversely affect entomopathogenic nematodes.