Efficacy of Foliar Applications of Entomopathogenic Nematodes in the Management of the Invasive Tomato Leaf Miner Phthorimaea absoluta Compared to Local Practices Under Open-Field Conditions
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Material and Methods
2.1. Target Crop and Field Sites
2.2. Target Pest
2.3. Treatments
2.4. Experimental Setup
2.5. Assessing Control Efficacy
2.6. Assessing the Survival of EPN
2.7. Data Analyses
3. Results
3.1. Control Efficacy
3.2. EPN Survival
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
EPN | Entomopathogenic nematodes |
IJ | Infective juveniles |
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Active Ingredient | Product | Entomopathogenic Nematodes | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ingredients and Formulations | Tradename | Company | g/Litre | g/Plant | g/ha | /Litre (mL) | /Plant (mL) | /ha (Litre) | /mL | /Litre (Million) | /Plant | /ha (Million) | |||
Field 1 in 2023 | |||||||||||||||
UV protectant + EPN | |||||||||||||||
Canola seed oil | Rape seed oil | AgroPy Ltd., Rwanda | 1000 | 0.03 | 825 | 2.5 | 0.03 | 0.8 | 1800 | 1.8 | 18,000 | 594,000 | |||
Surfactant + EPN | |||||||||||||||
Alkyl polyglycoside APG surfactant | Glucopon 425 | BASF by AgroPy Ltd., Rwanda | 48–52 | 0.0003 | 21 | 50 | 0.5 | 16.5 | 1800 | 1.8 | 18,000 | 594,000 | |||
Nature-based ingredients | |||||||||||||||
Pyrethrin | Pyrethrin 5% | AgroPy Ltd., Rwanda | 5 | 0.11 | 12 | 7.35 | 0.07 | 2.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
Spinosad | Spinosad 12% SC | Henan Jiahe Agriculture Ltd.., China | 12 | 0.01 | 12 | 3 | 0.03 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
Negative control | |||||||||||||||
Untreated control | |||||||||||||||
Field 2 and 3 in 2024 | |||||||||||||||
Surfactant and UV protectant + EPN | |||||||||||||||
Alkyl polyglycoside APG surfactant | Glucopon 425 | BASF by AgroPy Ltd., Rwanda | 48–52 | 0.0003 | 21 | 100 | 1.5 | 42 | 1000 | 1 | 15,000 | 420,000 | |||
+ Canola seed oil | Rape seed oil | AgroPy Ltd., Rwanda | 1000 | 1.5 | 42,000 | 100 | 1.5 | 42 | |||||||
Surfactant + EPN | |||||||||||||||
Alkyl polyglycoside APG surfactant | Glucopon 425 | BASF by AgroPy Ltd., Rwanda | 48–52 | 0.0003 | 21 | 100 | 1.5 | 42 | 1000 | 1 | 15,000 | 420,000 | |||
Nature-based ingredients | |||||||||||||||
Pyrethrin | Pyrethrin 5% | AgroPy Ltd., Rwanda | 5 | 0.17 | 16 | 7.5 | 0.11 | 3.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
Positive control | |||||||||||||||
Lambda cyhalothrin | Lambdex 50EC | EGT, Hemen Industries, Rwanda | 50 | 0.0003 | 21 | 1 | 0.02 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
Negative control | |||||||||||||||
Untreated control | |||||||||||||||
Factors | % Prevention of Leaflet Damage | % Prevention of Leaf Damage | % Reduction in Larvae | % Larval Mortality | % Yield Quality Gain | % Yield Weight Gain | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
df | F | p | F | p | F | p | F | p | F | p | F | p | ||||||||
Treatments | 5; 934 | 1.3 | 0.26 | 2.3 | 0.16 | 3.2 | 0.002 | 1.1 | 0.34 | 3 | 3.9 | 0.02 | 0.6 | 0.58 | 4 | |||||
Formulation of EPNs | 2; 1149 | 0.9 | 0.34 | 2.2 | 0.12 | 2.4 | 0.068 | 0.8 | 0.48 | 3 | 1 | 0.37 | 1.3 | 0.34 | 4 | |||||
Frequency of treatments | 2; 934 | 2 | <0.0001 | 9.3 | <0.0001 | 3.7 | 0.024 | 0.3 | 0.72 | 3 | NA | NA | NA | NA | 4 | |||||
Weeks after treatment | 1 | 2; 2213 | 32 | <0.0001 | 0.4 | 0.55 | 6.5 | 0.020 | 7.7 | <0.0001 | NA | NA | NA | NA | 4 | |||||
Field site | 2; 934 | 4 | 0.018 | 11 | 0.001 | 1.7 | 0.190 | 6.4 | 0.002 | 4.8 | 0.03 | 0.04 | 0.95 | 4 | ||||||
Pest population levels | 7; 1151 | 8.5 | <0.0001 | 0.7 | 0.57 | 2 | 260 | <0.0001 | 119 | <0.0001 | 0.6 | 0.56 | 0.08 | 0.78 | 4 |
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Share and Cite
Kajuga, J.N.; Waweru, B.W.; Bazagwira, D.; Ishimwe, P.M.; Ndacyayisaba, S.; Mukundiyabo, G.C.; Mutumwinka, M.; Uwimana, J.d.; Toepfer, S. Efficacy of Foliar Applications of Entomopathogenic Nematodes in the Management of the Invasive Tomato Leaf Miner Phthorimaea absoluta Compared to Local Practices Under Open-Field Conditions. Agronomy 2025, 15, 1417. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15061417
Kajuga JN, Waweru BW, Bazagwira D, Ishimwe PM, Ndacyayisaba S, Mukundiyabo GC, Mutumwinka M, Uwimana Jd, Toepfer S. Efficacy of Foliar Applications of Entomopathogenic Nematodes in the Management of the Invasive Tomato Leaf Miner Phthorimaea absoluta Compared to Local Practices Under Open-Field Conditions. Agronomy. 2025; 15(6):1417. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15061417
Chicago/Turabian StyleKajuga, Joelle N., Bancy W. Waweru, Didace Bazagwira, Primitive M. Ishimwe, Stephano Ndacyayisaba, Grace C. Mukundiyabo, Marie Mutumwinka, Jeanne d’Arc Uwimana, and Stefan Toepfer. 2025. "Efficacy of Foliar Applications of Entomopathogenic Nematodes in the Management of the Invasive Tomato Leaf Miner Phthorimaea absoluta Compared to Local Practices Under Open-Field Conditions" Agronomy 15, no. 6: 1417. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15061417
APA StyleKajuga, J. N., Waweru, B. W., Bazagwira, D., Ishimwe, P. M., Ndacyayisaba, S., Mukundiyabo, G. C., Mutumwinka, M., Uwimana, J. d., & Toepfer, S. (2025). Efficacy of Foliar Applications of Entomopathogenic Nematodes in the Management of the Invasive Tomato Leaf Miner Phthorimaea absoluta Compared to Local Practices Under Open-Field Conditions. Agronomy, 15(6), 1417. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15061417