METHOD OF ASSESSING THE NEMATOCIDAL EFFECTIVENESS OF A BIOPREPA-RATION BASED ON PREDATORY MICROMYCETE AGAINST THE POTATO STEM NEMATODE

Aim – Studing of methods for determining the effectiveness of Nematophagin BT against potato stem nematode in the laboratory. Materials and methods. For the experiment, potato tubers with signs of damage by the stem nematode Ditylenchus destructor Thorne, 1945 were selected. The method of treatment of cut potato tubers with the preparation was used. It was compared with the method of treatment of whole tubers in the laboratory. The effect of the microbiological nematicidal preparation (Nematofagin BT) developed by ITI Biotechnology of NAAS was determined. The effectiveness of the microbiological preparation of nematicidal action (Nematofagin BT), developed by ITI Biotechnology of NAAS, was determined. The active ingredient of the drug is a microscopic fungus-predator Arthrobotrys oligospora strain 12, the initial culture of which is deposited in the collection of microorganism cultures of the D.K. Zabolotny Institute of Microbiology and Virology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine F100047. Results. The methods of laboratory evaluation of the nematicidal effect of the biological product against potato stem nematode are described. In laboratory conditions, to determine the effectiveness of the drug, it is more informative to use cut tubers that have been infected with stem nematode. This method requires much more time to set up, but the bioagent has bigger accessibility to the pest. The use of whole tubers is less labor-intensive, but there is a possibility of using uninfected material in the experiment. The expediency of using these methods in laboratory conditions for the selection of active strains and determination of their effectiveness is shown. Conclusion. The method of nematicidal treatment of cut tubers with established infection of stem nematode is more informative than the use of whole tubers. It is advisable to analyze for damage to potatoes by nematodes when using pieces of affected potatoes from 3 to 7 days after treatment with a 3% solution of the biological product with an exposure of 5 hours. In laboratory conditions, both methods of treatment of cut and whole tubers with the preparation can be used to test the effect of Nematophagin BT on potato stem nematode. Nematophagin BT showed nematicidal activity against potato stem nematode in laboratory conditions.