Nematicidal Activity of Oxygen-Containing Aliphatic Compounds on <i>Bursaphelenchus xylophilus</i>, <i>B. mucronatus</i> and <i>B. fraudulentus</i> 

Abstract

The pinewood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, the causal agent of pine-wilt disease (PWD), is a threat to Pinus forests in Asia and Europe. Bursaphelenchus mucronatus and B. fraudulentus are closely related non-pathogenic pine-wood nematodes. In the present work, four medium-chain aliphatic alcohols (C10 to C13) were evaluated in direct-contact bioassays against B. xylophilus, B. mucronatus and B. fraudulentus. The compounds showed high nematicidal activity against the species tested. The lowest values for half-maximal effective concentrations (EC50) were determined in B. xylophilus and B. fraudulentus, suggesting a higher sensibility to these compounds. Further bioassays will include compounds with different chain lengths and functional groups to explore the diversity in the activity of oxygen-containing aliphatic compounds for a more targeted sustainable-control strategy for the PWN.

Keywords

• biopesticides
• <i>Bursaphelenchus fraudulentus</i>
• <i>Bursaphelenchus mucronatus</i>
• <i>Bursaphelenchus xylophilus</i>
• nematicides
• pinewood nematode