Iotonchium ungulatum is the causal agent of gill-knot disease of the oyster mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus. The insect-parasitic females of this nematode are described. The insect-parasitic female nematodes inhabit and lay many eggs in the haemocoel of the fungus gnat, Rhymosia domestica. Juvenile nematodes hatched from these eggs invade host gnats ovaries, and the nematodes are supposed to be deposited on the gills of the oyster mushroom where they generate knots and grow into the mycetophagous females. In the laboratory experiment, female gnats harbored significantly greater number of insect-parasitic female nematodes than did the male gnats. Jpn. J. Nematol. 30 (1/2): 1-7 (2000).

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The fungivorous nematode, Aphelenchus avenae, can be mass-produced by feeding Rhizoctonia solani growing on solid substrates composed of various industrial vegetable wastes in different combinations and ratios. Supplementation of broiler process slurry waste as one of the ingredient with vegetable wastes greatly improved nematode multiplication. The addition of 30%(w/w dry weight) used green tea leaves significantly increased A. avenae propagation by maintaining favourable pH. The highest multiplication of A. avenae 113.8 × 10⁴ was obtained 20 days after inoculation with the initial 200 nematodes on the 20 g substrates consisted of 35% broiler process slurry waste, 35% distilled spirit strained lees, and 30% used green tea leaves moistened with 60% water. From the same initial population but 30 days after inoculation, the second highest multiplication was 92.7 × 10⁴ on the substrate consisted of 35% distilled spirit strained lees, 35% orange juice strained lees, and 30% used green tea leaves. A. avenae was also mass-cultured on sponge substrates permeated with PDA solution as nutrient source for the fungus R. solani. The highest multiplication (109 × 10⁴) was recorded on 20 g substrates (sponge 1 g, nutrient solution 16 ml) permeated by potato dextrose agar at 25°C on 30 days after inoculation with 200 nematodes. Jpn. J. Nematol. 30 (1/2): 8-17 (2000).

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Parasitism of Meloidogyne incognita, M. arenaria, Pratylenchus penetrans and P. coffeae was examined on five hybrid sorghum, other four gramineous plants (guineagrass, oat, sudangrass, Italian ryegrass) and crotalaria. Of all strains and plants examined, the sorghum strain SS701 named Tuchitaro was the most effective as an antagonistic green manure plant for the control of M. incognita and M. arenaria but not of P. penetrans and P. coffeae. Jpn. J. Nematol. 30 (1/2): 18-29 (2000).

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Monacrosporium phymatopagum (DRECHSER) SUBRAMANIAN is a nematode trapping fungus forming sessile adhesive konobs. In the present study, the fungus was found to form infectious hyphae on the corn meal agar medium added with the 2nd stage juveniles of Meloidogyne incoginita. The hyphae were formed more frequently than sessile adhesive knobs. The nematode trap ratio by the former was significantly higher than the latter. The infectious hyphae invaded not only via anus aperture but also via the other parts of nematode body. Nematode body contents were digested and absorbed within 24 hr after being trapped by the infectious hyphae. Jpn. J. Nematol. 30 (1/2): 30-34 (2000).

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Two experimental models, one for testing the attraction behaviour (Petri-dish scoring system) and the other for analyzing preferential behaviour (preference test chambers) of infective juveniles of Steinernema glaseri are described and proposed. Petri-dish scoring system was based on the probability of nematode distribution in the presence and absence of the insects. It was given weightage, depending upon the number of nematodes reaching to the insects. The weighted responses were given ranks and scores to make quantitative analysis of the attraction behaviour of nematodes. The preference test chambers were designed to test preferential behaviour of the nematodes for the larvae of four insect species: Galleria mellonella, Spodoptera litura, Blattella germanica and Locust migratoria. The attraction rates of S. glaseri increased with the time and reached to maximum (67.6%) 6 hr after inoculation of the nematodes. S. glaseri responded to homogenate of G. mellonella larvae in a dose dependent manner. Maximum values for the absolute and relative preferential indices showed that the nematodes preferred G. mellonella most among the four insects examined.Jpn. J. Nematol. 30 (1/2): 35-46 (2000).

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[in Japanese]

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