Undirwade, UndirwadeBANSOD, Nicky2018-07-202018-07-202017-06-30BANSOD, NICKY.(2017).OCCURRENCE OF ENTOMOPATHOGENIC NEMATODES IN DIFFERENT CROPPING SYSTEM OF AKOLA VICINITY. Department of Entomology, Dr. PanjabraoDeshmukhKrishiVidyapeeth, Akola. M. Sc.2017.xi, 79p. (Unpublished).http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810061151In the present investigation entitled “Occurrence of Entomopathogenic Nematodes in Different Cropping System of Akola Vicinity” was studied. Annually insect pests cause serious damage to agricultural crops, which leads to substantial financial losses in agriculture worldwide. In order to control these pests, humans have relied heavily on the use of synthetic, chemical pesticides. These negative consequences and the current status of synthetic compounds have contributed to an increased interest in natural approaches to manage target pests in agriculture/horticulture. EPNs from the genera Steinernema and Heterorhabditis have been identified as promising biological control agents for inundative biological control of a vast array of economically important insect pests of a wide range of agricultural and horticultural crops. These nematodes have received considerable attention as bio-insecticides because of their wide host spectrum, active host seeking killing the host within 48 hrs, easy mass production, storage and application and are environmentally safe. However, the pathogenicity, host searching behavior and survivability of different nematode species are varied making them suitable in biological control programs. EPNs can be successfully exploited in insect pest management thus, such entomopathogenic nematode needs to isolate and exploited by studying general characteristics and also there infectivity and efficacy against target lepidopteran insect pest, in Akola vicinity. Therefore present investigation is undertaken to study theOccurrence of Entomopathogenic Nematodes in Different Cropping System of Akola Vicinity.The present investigations entitled “Occurrence of Entomopathogenic Nematode in Different Cropping System of Akola Vicinity” were undertaken in the Biocontrol Laboratory of Department of Entomology, Post Graduate Institute, Dr. PDKV, Akola during 2016-17. For isolation of EPN from various cropping systems 276 bait traps with Corcyracephalonica as host were incorporated into the rhizosphere of various crops for at various areas in Akola vicinity. The studies on survey of EPN from different cropping systems revealed that out of 276 traps baited in 24 cropping systems comprising of 21 crops, the presence of EPN was found prominent in case of sorghum, soybean, chilli and okra cropping systems having recorded maximum C. cephalonica deadlarvae inbait traps. Brinjal, tomato, turmeric, sapota, citrus, groundnut, tulsi, chinarose and sadafuli cropping systems have recorded no infected C. cephalonica larvae bait traps in Akola vicinity. The isolation and identification studies revealed that the EPN isolates from these four cropping systems shown pathogenicity to the third instar larvae of C. cephalonica in laboratory. The samples sent for identification confirmed EPN species is Heterorhabditids indica in Akola vicinity as communicated by ICAR-CICR, Nagpur, Maharashtra. The pathogenecity studies revealed that mortality in 3rd, 4th and 5th instar larvae of the three lepidopteran pests i. e. C. cephalonica, H. armigera and S. litura were highest at 30 IJs/100µl concentration of EPN suspension. The reproduction and multiplication studies revealed that recovery of EPN Infective Juveniles (IJs) was highest in the 3rd and 4th instar larvae of C. cephalonica when infected with EPN isolates from okra and chilli, soybean and sorghum cropping systems, respectively.While in case of H. armigera the recovery of the EPN Infective Juveniles (IJs) was highest in 3rd and 4th instar larvae when infected with EPN isolates from soybean and sorghum and okra and chilli crop ecosystems, respectively. In case of S. litura recovery of the EPN Infective Juveniles (IJs) was highest in the 5th instar larvae when infected with EPN isolates from soybean, sorghum, chilli and okra crop ecosystems.ennullThesis