Greenhouse and growth room experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of host plant in relation to different nematode inoculum levels, and temperature fluctuations on the development of Pasteuria penetrans. Host plant affected the development of P. penetrans indirectly through its effect on nematode development. Endospores collected from Meloidogyne javanica females reared on different hosts did not show any differences in subsequent attachment and infectivity. The numbers of endospores produced per infected female were reduced with increasing numbers of females parasitizing okra and tomato roots. Fluctuating temperatures retarded the development of P. penetrans. The life cycle of the parasite was completed faster at approximately constant temperatures close to 30 degrees C than when the temperature fluctuated away from 30 degrees C. The temperature of irrigation water did not affect the duration of life cycle of P. penetrans.
Keywords: Meloidogyne javanica; Pasteuria penetrans; bacterial parasite; biological control; egg plant; okra; root-knot nematodes; temperature; tomato.