Identification of virulent entomopathogenic nematode isolates from a countrywide survey in India.

International Journal of Pest Management, 2015

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09670874.2015.1023869

Puneet Kumar, Sudershan Ganguly & Vishal Singh Somvanshi

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) have been successfully used in the USA and Europe for the biological management of insect pests, for example, invasive mole crickets, white grubs and other scarab larvae in lawns and turf, fungus gnats in mushroom, black vine weevil and Diaprepes root weevil in nursery plants and citrus, respectively. The use of EPNs in India is still in the preliminary stages. To find the best EPN isolates for use in local insect pest management programs, we previously collected 35 strains of EPNs from different parts of India, and screened them for insect infectivity at broad temperature range. Here we quantitated the virulence of seven EPN strains showing infectivity at broad temperature range against Galleria mellonella and Spodoptera litura. Three isolates of Steinernema and four isolates of Heterorhabditis were tested. The Heterorhabditis sp. Hmg3 was the most virulent EPN isolate among all the tested nematodes (LC50 D 16.1 infective juveniles (IJs)/insect larvae at 24 h), whereas the isolate Steinernema thermophilum Kr was the most virulent steinernematid (LC50 D 11.8 IJ/insect larvae at 36 h). These strains would be taken up for mass multiplication to facilitate their actual use in insect pest management programs at farmer’s fields. Our results suggest that G. mellonella could be used as a primary model for assessing and predicting the virulence of EPN isolates on other insects such as S. litura. 

Keywords: biological control; Steinernema; Heterorhabditis; bioassays; LC50; LT50

Molecular and Physiological Basis of Nematode Survival

By Roland N. Perry, David A. Wharton

BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS OF SOIL HEALTH

BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS OF SOIL HEALTH

BY

C. E. Pankhurst, B. M. Doube, V. V. S. R. Gupta

Dr. Wasim Ahmad, Professor Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University received E.K. Janaki Ammal National Award for Animal Taxonomy

Dr. Wasim Ahmad, Professor Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University received E.K. Janaki Ammal National Award for Animal Taxonomy, the highest award for Indian taxonomists instituted by the Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India. He received this prestigious award from Mr. Jairam Ramesh, Honorable Minister of Environment & Forest, Government of India and Mr. Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on 5 June 2011, the World Environment Day in a colorful event organized at Hotel Ashok, New Delhi. The award carries a medallion, a scroll, a citation and a cash prize of Rs. 1,00,000/-. Along with him Dr. D.B. Singh, Director Botanical Survey of India received the Award for Plant Taxonomy.
Dr. Ahmad is an Internationally acclaimed nematode taxonomist with over three decades of experience working on soil nematode fauna of different geographical regions of India and has described several hundred new taxa of nematodes. He has also the distinction of describing large number of new nematode taxa from over twenty different countries of the world. In addition, his several books and monographs have been published by the world renowned publisher, E.J. Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands. He has visited many countries as an expert of nematode taxonomy and is recipient of prestigious visiting fellowships from Royal Society, London (UK), Dutches Forschungsgemeinschaft (Germany), Japanese Society for Promotion of Science (Japan), Erasmus Mundus Scholar (European Union), Chinese Academy of Sciences (China), Third World Academy of Science (Italy), Korean Science Foundation (Korea), Raffles Museum Visiting Fellowship (Singapore), Institut Nacional de Biodiversidad (Costa Rica) and many others. Since its inception in 1999 by the Government of India, Dr. Ahmad is the youngest to have been honored with this award. Dr. Wasim’s international recognition can be ascertained from the fact that way back in 1996, Scientists from the British Museum Natural History, London named a new genus of nematode Wasimellus enigmatus Bloemers & Wanless in recognition of his contribution to Nematode taxonomy. This is a very rare recognition for an Indian Scientists by the British Scientists. His admirers have dedicated several other new species in his name, Laimydorus wasimi Bohra & Baqri, Mylonchulus wasimi Tiasi, Chatterjee & Manna; Helicotylenchus wasimi Gantait, Bhattacharya & Chatterjee; Aporcelaimellus ahmadi Sergio & Pena-Santiago etc.

ENTOMOPATHOGENIC NEMATOLOGY

ENTOMOPATHOGENIC NEMATOLOGY

Edited by
Randy Gaugler
Department of Entomology
Rutgers University
New Brunswick, New Jersey
USA
CABI

Link: http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/56892607?access_key=key-1z20xowd09k09fu34e4g

Prof. Wasim Ahmad of Nematology, AMU selected for National Award on Animal Taxonomy-2009

Prof. Wasim Ahmad selected for Prof. E.K. Janaki Ammal National Award on Animal Taxonomy - 2009

Prof. Wasim Ahmad, Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has been selected for the prestigious ‘Prof. E.K. Janaki Ammal National Award’ on Animal Taxonomy - 2009 for his distinguished and outstanding contribution to the field of taxonomy and biodiversity of soil inhabiting nematodes.

Notably, in order to encourage work of excellence in taxonomy and also to encourage young students and scholars to work in this science, Ministry for Environment and Forests, Government of India instituted a National Award in 1999 named after the late Prof. E.K. Janaki Ammal who devoted her entire life to taxonomic work.

The award carries Rs.1, 00,000/- cash along with a citation, scroll and Medallion. It is conferred on 5th June every year at the World Environment Day function organized by the Ministry of Environment and Forest.

Prof. Ahmad has made outstanding contribution in the field of Biodiversity, taxonomy, ecology and phylogenomics of soil inhabiting nematodes. In his about 170 research papers which have been published in foreign journals, he has described some 290 new species and over 40 new genera of soil inhabiting nematodes which include some interesting taxa such as a marine residual form from silent valley, several new nematode genera and species from North-East and other biodiversity rich areas of the country. He has also distinction of describing several new taxa of soil inhabiting nematodes from over twenty different countries in East Asia (Japan, China, Korea, Vietnam, and Singapore), Africa (Cameroon, Bennin, Azores, Dominica, Ivory Coast, and New Guinae), Europe (Germany, UK, Austria, Spain, and Turkey), Central America (Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Colombia) and New Zealand.

Prof. Ahmad’s monumental book titled “Dorylaimida; Free-living, predaceous and plant parasitic nematodes” published by E.J. Brill, Leiden is a unique world-wide reference for study of dorylaim nematodes and till date it is the most cited book in nematode taxonomy. A similar treatise by him on Mononchida was published in 2010 by E.J. Brill under their prestigious Nematology Monograph series.

He has visited a large number of countries of the world as an expert for the study of dorylaim and mononchid nematodes and is recipient of prestigious visiting fellowships/scholarships from Royal Society (London), DFG (Germany), Japanese Society for Promotion of Science (Japan), Erasmus Mundus Scholar (European Union), Chinese Academy of Sciences (China), KOSEF (Korea), TWAS (Italy), Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research Fellowship of National University of Singapore and Institute Nacional de Biodiversidad, Costa Rica visiting Fellowship and many others.

Besides, he is a Fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences and has received many awards and medals from several scientific societies. He has guided several students for their M.Phil. and Ph.D. degree and is regularly associated with imparting taxonomic training at National and International level.

NEW BOOK

ALAIMINA

Free-living Soil-inhabiting nematodes

PROF. MAHLAQA CHOUDHARY

PROF. WASIM AHMAD

PROF. M. SHAMIM JAIRAJPURI

A unique treatise on the morphology and taxonomy of the Order Alimida with special reference to the species described from India. The alaimids represent a group of soil-inhabiting microbivorous nematodes which play important role in soil food web. The book includes detailed morphology of alaimids with emphasis on characters of taxonomic importance.

Link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/52472405/ALAIMINA

NEWSLETTER

DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY

ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY

ALIGARH

Inaugural Issue

Link: http://www.scribd.com/full/51701722?access_key=key-252tbnafznz4p8ef5c0z

BAYESIAN ANALYSIS for POPULATION ECOLOGY

Download Links:

TROPICAL FOREST COMMUNITY ECOLOGY

TROPICAL FOREST COMMUNITY ECOLOGY

Editors
Walter P. Carson
University of Pittsburgh
Department of Biological Sciences
Pittsburgh, PA
USA

Stefan A. Schnitzer
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
Department of Biological Sciences
Milwaukee, WI
USA
and
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa
Republic of Panama