Survival of entomopathogenic nematodes in sterilized vs non-sterilized soil

This study was conducted to determine the survival of entomopathogenic nematodes (epn) in soil. entomopathogenic nematodes [(steinernema asiaticum (anis),s. glaseri (steiner),heterorhabditis indica (poinar) and h. bacteriophora (poinar)] were applied to non-sterilized and sterilized soil either with or without tomato plants and roots. formalin was used for the sterilization of sandy loam soil (72% sand,17% silt and 8% clay). nematodes were recovered from the soil immediately after application and 7 days after application using sieving method. there was no significant difference seen in all the treatments immediately after application. nematode recovery ranged from 43.22 to 45.42%. the percentage of the entomopathogenic nematodes recovered after seven days of application ranged from 1.87 to 7.83%. number of live s. asiaticum,s. glaseri,h. indica and h. bacteriophora were severely reduced in non-sterilized soil with or without tomato roots after 7 days. there was a significant difference in survival rate of s. asiaticum,s. glaseri,h. indica and h. bacteriophora in sterilized soil. © copyright 2016 zoological society of pakistan.