Effectiveness of Local and Commercial Isolates of Heterohabditis bacteriophora Nematodes in Controlling the Cucurbit Fly Dacus ciliatus (Loew)

Abstract

The cucurbit fly is a pest with significant economic impact because it affects numerous agricultural crops and leads to fruit damage. This experiment was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the local and commercial isolates of Heterohabditis bacteriophora nematodes on the larvae and pupae of the cucurbit fly insect Dacus ciliatus. Four concentrations were pre-pared for each isolate (10, 25, 50, and 100 infective juveniles/milliliter). The results showed clear variations in the isolates' ability to control the insects, and the effectiveness of the used concentrations varied in their impact on the mortality rate of the larvae and pupae. It was found that all concentrations could infect and control the cucurbit fly at both stages: larvae and pupae, but with varying percentages. Results showed that 100 IJs/mL scored the highest mortality rate compared to the other concentrations. The percentage of larvae and pupae mortality was higher when treated with the local isolate of nematodes compared to the commercial isolate at the same concentration.