ABSTRACT
Thelarge cabbage white butterfly, or Pieris brassicae (L.) (Lepidoptera:Pieridae), is a major pest of cruciferous vegetables, as it causes severedefoliation and economic loss in these vegetables because of heavy larvalinfestation. The study explored the pathogenicity of three entomopathogenicnematode (EPN) species, namely Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, Steinernemacarpocapsae, and Steinernema glaseri, on the larval and pupal stagesof P. brassicae; their compatibility against the selective insecticidesRadiant (spinetoram) and Uphold (spinetoram/methoxyfenozide); and theireffectiveness when used in mixtures against laboratory and field conditions.The bioassay experiments showed marked intraspecific variations among thenematode species in terms of virulence, with H. bacteriophora having thelowest value of LC₅₀ and LT₅₀ mortality on the two stages of P. brassicae,followed by S. carpocapsae, and relatively less virulence on S.glaseri. The compatibility experiments showed that the two selectiveinsecticides have moderate to low toxicity against EPNs, and their mortalityincreased with concentration and exposure duration, but H. bacteriophorawas more resistant than the Steinernema species. Mixes of nematodesgiven at the level of LC₉₀ and half of the recommended rate of insecticidesshowed additive to synergistic effects on larvae mortality of P. brassicaeunder laboratory bioassay conditions. The experiments conducted over twoconsecutive years (2024 and 2025) under the farm's actual agriculturalconditions verified the findings and showed that the mix was more effective,achieving populations below 80%, and outperformed individual nematodes andinsecticides. The findings show that the integrated use of H. bacteriophora entomopathogenicnematodes and smaller amounts of selective insecticides is a more effective andfeasible method for controlling P. brassicae in cabbage production andjustify their use within integrated pest management.
Keywords: Pieris brassicae; entomopathogenic nematodes; Heterorhabditisbacteriophora; Radiant; Uphold; compatibility; synergistic effects; integratedpest management.
How to cite this article:
Atwa A. Atwa, Marwa A. M. Abl-Allah, Ghada M. Ramadanand Heba S. Abd El-Aty. 2026. Integrated use of entomopathogenic nematodesand selective insecticides for sustainable management of Pieris brassicae onCabbage. Journal of Biopesticides,19(1):21-31. DOI: 10.57182/jbiopestic.19.1.21-31
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