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Turlings, Ted

Nom
Turlings, Ted
Affiliation principale
Fonction
Professeur ordinaire
Email
ted.turlings@unine.ch
Identifiants
https://libra.unine.ch/handle/123456789/330

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  • Publication
    Accès libre
    Comparative Screening of Mexican, Rwandan and Commercial Entomopathogenic Nematodes to Be Used against Invasive Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda
    (2022-2-16)
    Fallet, Patrick 
    ;
    De Gianni, Lara
    ;
    Machado, Ricardo A. R.
    ;
    Bruno, Pamela 
    ;
    Bernal, Julio S.
    ;
    Karangwa, Patrick
    ;
    Kajuga, Joelle
    ;
    Waweru, Bancy
    ;
    Bazagwira, Didace
    ;
    Degen, Thomas 
    ;
    Toepfer, Stefan
    ;
    Turlings, Ted 
    The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is an important pest of maize originating from the Americas. It recently invaded Africa and Asia, where it causes severe yield losses to maize. To fight this pest, tremendous quantities of synthetic insecticides are being used. As a safe and sustainable alternative, we explore the possibility to control FAW with entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN). We tested in the laboratory whether local EPNs, isolated in the invasive range of FAW, are as effective as EPNs from FAW native range or as commercially available EPNs. This work compared the virulence, killing speed and propagation capability of low doses of forty EPN strains, representing twelve species, after placing them with second-, third- and sixth-instar caterpillars as well as pupae. EPN isolated in the invasive range of FAW (Rwanda) were found to be as effective as commercial and EPNs from the native range of FAW (Mexico) at killing FAW caterpillars. In particular, the Rwandan Steinernema carpocapsae strain RW14-G-R3a-2 caused rapid 100% mortality of second- and third-instar and close to 75% of sixth-instar FAW caterpillars. EPN strains and concentrations used in this study were not effective in killing FAW pupae. Virulence varied greatly among EPN strains, underlining the importance of thorough EPN screenings. These findings will facilitate the development of local EPN-based biological control products for sustainable and environmentally friendly control of FAW in East Africa and beyond.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    Selection of entomopathogenic nematodes for enhanced responsiveness to a volatile root signal helps to control a major root pest
    (2010)
    Hiltpold, Ivan 
    ;
    Baroni, Mariane
    ;
    Toepfer, Stefan
    ;
    Kuhlmann, Ulrich
    ;
    Turlings, Ted 
    The efficacy of natural enemies as biological control agents against insect pests can theoretically be enhanced by artificial selection for high responsiveness to foraging cues. The recent discovery that maize roots damaged by the western corn rootworm (WCR) emit a key attractant for insect-killing nematodes has opened the way to explore whether a selection strategy can improve the control of root pests. The compound in question, (E)-beta-caryophyllene, is only weakly attractive to Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, one of the most infectious nematodes against WCR. To overcome this drawback, we used a six-arm below-ground olfactometer to select for a strain of H. bacteriophora that is more readily attracted to (E)-beta-caryophyllene. After six generations of selection, the selected strain responded considerably better and moved twice as rapidly towards a (E)-beta-caryophyllene source than the original strain. There was a minor trade-off between this enhanced responsiveness and nematode infectiveness. Yet, in subsequent field tests, the selected strain was significantly more effective than the original strain in reducing WCR populations in plots with a maize variety that releases (E)-beta-caryophyllene, but not in plots with a maize variety that does not emit this root signal. These results illustrate the great potential of manipulating natural enemies of herbivores to improve biological pest control.