Potential use of entomopathogenic nematodes for controlling lepidopterous crucifer pest complex in Indonesia | |
| Author | Agus Suyanto |
| Call Number | AIT Diss. no.AS-00-02 |
| Subject(s) | Cruciferae--Diseases and pests--Indonesia Pests--Biological control--Indonesia |
| Note | A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Technical Science, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Dissertation ; no. AS-00-02 |
| Abstract | The lepidopterous pests are the major constraint in crucifer production in Indonesia. Due to the ineffectiveness of certain control measures, entomopathogenic nematodes may be an alternative to control the pest problem. However, the use of these natural enemies in crucifer crop production in Indonesia is insufficient due to lack of the basic and essential knowledge about them. Therefore, a research, which focused on determining the potential of entomopathogenic nematodes, was conducted in the center of crucifer production in Banjarnegara district, Central Java province, Indonesia. The study was conducted from May 1998 to February 1999. The overall objective of the study was to explore various entomopathogenic nematodes found in the crucifer crop ecosystem and to investigate the feasibility of utilizing the promising nematodes in pest management programs for the lepidopterous crucifer pest complex. More specifically, this study was conducted to search for and identify the nematodes. The possibility to culture and efficacy of the nematodes in the pest management program for lepidopterous crucifer pest complex were also evaluated. A preliminary survey showed that farmers in the survey site commonly cultivated the cabbage (Brassica oleracea L.). There were three major pests, namely, cabbage head caterpillar, Crocidolomia pavonana (F.) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae); cluster caterpillar, Spodoptera litura (F.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae). For controlling the pests, most of the farmers always used insecticides based on the schedule. An entomopathogenic nematode, Heterorhabditis sp. (Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae) has been found in the soil throughout the crucifer area and other agroecosystem around the area. The nematodes could be recovered by using a laboratory and bioassays in the laboratory. The existence of this biological control agent in the andosol soil was less than the regosol soil. It appears from the results that monoxenic culture, which contains 60% beef kidney, 20% beef fat, and 20% tap water, was suitable for Heterorhabditis sp. The highest average yield was more than 20 million nematodes per liter of suspension that could be harvested in the third week. The nematode was more toxic to the cabbagehead caterpillar (C. pavonana') and the cluster caterpillar (S. litura) than to the diamondback moth (P. xylostella). Effective concentration on the cabbagehead caterpillar (C. pavonana) and the cluster caterpillar (S. litura) was 300 nematodes/ml of water. However, a satisfactory level of control on the diamondback moth (P. xylostella) could not be determined yet, and thus needs further investigation. The results also showed that Heterorhabditis sp. could substitute several synthetic insecticides. When compared with the insecticides, the effectiveness of Heterorhabditis sp. against the lepidopterous pests was comparable with a synthetic pyrethroid (cyhalotrin), some carbamate insecticides (BPMC and carbosulfan) and some organophosphorous (profenofos and methidathion). Moreover, Heterorhabditis sp. was more effective than the microbial insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner. |
| Year | 2000 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Dissertation ; no. AS-00-02 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (Former title: Department of Food Agriculture, and BioResources (DFAB)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Agricultural and Aquatic Systems(AS) |
| Chairperson(s) | Shivakoti, Ganesh P.;Banpot Napompeth |
| Examination Committee(s) | Salokhe, Vilas M. ;Apisit Eiumnoh; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Higher Education Project, ADB Loan No. 1253;INO; |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph.D.) - Asian Institute of Technology |