38th Annual Meeting of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology

Soil is home to a complex assemblage of micro- and macroorganisms that interact with endemic and applied entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN). Agricultural practices (e.g., frequency and intensity of soil disturbance, amount of plant residue left on the soil surface, agrichemical use, crop species and variety) can profoundly affect the biotic and abiotic soil environment (e.g., temperature, moisture, abundance and diversity of soil organisms, plant diversity, host availability). We will review research results on the effects of environmental conditions created by production practices in various agricultural systems on the occurrence of natural populations and persistence of applied populations of EPN. We will also report recent findings on the effects of agricultural systems on the occurrence of endemic EPN.