The root-knot nematode ( Meloidogyne spp.) is an obligate plant parasite and is one of the largest threats to the Australian sweetpotato industry, causing crop losses of up to 57% of marketable yield. In this study, two potential fungal biocontrol agents were encapsulated in alginate granules and their nematophagous activity was assessed in a laboratory-based microcosm experiment. Both species of fungi significantly reduced nu...

Kernels of sweet maize are directly consumed by humans. This high value crop is grown in arid and semi-arid regions of western Jilin Province, China where trickle irrigation is widely used and larvae of the corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis Guenée (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), can cause significant kernel damage. Low humidity in arid regions is less conducive to the efficacy of the biological control agent, Beauveria bassiana (Balsa...