Vertical Movement of Entomopathogenic Nematodes as Affected by Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid and White) in Different Soil Types

The vertical movement of Entomopathogenic nematodes viz., S. carpocapsae, H. indica, S. abbasi, and S. feltiae were examined in relation to different soil types, sandy clay loam, sand, silty clay and silt at 10 and 15 cm depth in presence and absence of root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita. All the four species of EPN moved significantly and caused maximum mortality to greater wax moth, Gallaria mellonella (L.) larvae 48 h after inoculation at 10 cm depth. However, at 15 cm depth, they took 60 h to cause maximum mortality in both presence/absence of M. incognita. The percent mortality of G. mellonella was found more when EPN were applied in presence of M. incognita compared to absence of the same.