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Traditional and molecular detection methods reveal intense interguild competition and other multitrophic interactions associated with native entomopathogenic nematodes in Swiss tillage soils

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Abstract

Background and aims

As part of a research consortium that explores ways to improve soil health, we study how entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) can be better exploited for the biological control of soil-dwelling insect pests in annual crops.

Methods

We evaluated how tillage might affect belowground interactions in two 30-year running Swiss field trials by combining traditional (insect bait) and molecular (novel real-time qPCR protocols) methods. Soil samples (April and October 2013) were evaluated for the presence and activity of EPN soil food web assemblage comprising 13 EPN species, six nematophagous fungi, one ectoparasitic bacterium, and the free-living nematodes (FLN) of the Acrobeloides group.

Results

Mortality of sentinel larvae, as well as qPCR analyses (for which we provide seven new primers/probes sets) found only trace levels of six EPN species, dominated by heterorhabditids species. Analysis of nematode progeny revealed that EPN compete intensely with FLN for insect cadavers. Overall, it appears that temperate annual cropping systems provide poor environments for EPN and that tillage does not negatively affect the natural occurrence of EPN.

Conclusions

Natural occurrence of EPN in Swiss tillage soils was very low, and augmentation may be a promising strategy to improve the control of root pests of annual crops.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Drs. L. W. Duncan, F.E. El-Borai, and D. Shapiro-Ilan for providing EPN and NF populations. The authors also appreciate the field assistance of Neil Villard during the first sampling time and the help provided by Dr. C. Praz and different members of the FARCE and E-vol in the molecular biology laboratory. We also thank the members of the Soil and Vegetation laboratory (Universitz of Neuchâtel)for sharing their equipment and installations during the processing of the samples. This study was supported by the NRP68 program “Sustainable use of soil as a resource” (project no. 143065), Swiss National Science Foundation. G.J. was supported by a PhD assistantship from the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland), and X. C. was awarded with a PhD fellowship from the Commission Fédérale de Bourses pour Etudiants Etrangères CFBE (Confédération Suisse).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. FARCE Laboratory, University of Neuchâtel, Emile-Argand 11, Neuchâtel, 2000, Switzerland

    Raquel Campos-Herrera, Geoffrey Jaffuel, Xavier Chiriboga, Rubén Blanco-Pérez & Ted C. J. Turlings

  2. Agroscope, Institut of Plant Production Sciences IPS, Route de Duillier 50, CP 1012, 1260, Nyon, Switzerland

    Marie Fesselet & Fabio Mascher

  3. Laboratory of Entomopathogenic Nematodes, Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

    Vladimír Půža

Authors
  1. Raquel Campos-Herrera
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  2. Geoffrey Jaffuel
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  3. Xavier Chiriboga
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  4. Rubén Blanco-Pérez
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  5. Marie Fesselet
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  6. Vladimír Půža
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  7. Fabio Mascher
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Correspondence to Raquel Campos-Herrera.

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Campos-Herrera, R., Jaffuel, G., Chiriboga, X. et al. Traditional and molecular detection methods reveal intense interguild competition and other multitrophic interactions associated with native entomopathogenic nematodes in Swiss tillage soils. Plant Soil 389, 237–255 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-014-2358-4

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