Bulgaria: Participants in COST Action 850

Contact Persons:

Dr Nikola Atanasov, Professor
Plant Protection Institute
Proleshko Shose
2230 Kostinbrod, Bulgaria
Tel: 0032 9 2722 447
Fax: 0032 9 2722 447
E-Mail: nikola_atanosov@lycos.com

    

Denis Gradinarov, Assistant Professor
Faculty of Biology
Sofia University "St. Kliment Ochridski"
8 Dragan Tzankov Blvd.
1164 Sofia, Bulgaria
E-Mail: dgradinarov@abv.bg

    


Introduction

The investigations of entomopathogenic nematodes in our country started in 1994. They are carried out in the Becontree laboratory in the Faculty of Biology at the Sofia University. Our researches mainly are in the fields of taxonomy, autistics and ecology (including the natural hosts, also) of EPN. In the last few years we work also together with Dr. N. Amanas (IPP Kostinbrod) on the use of EPN as biocontrol agents. We have detected ten species of the families Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae til now, mainly isolated from SW Bulgaria.

This species are:

  • Steinernema kraussei: in mountain zones (Vitosha mts., Lozenska planina mts., Rila mts., Osogovska planina mts.), woodlands and grasslands
  • S. feltiae: in low mountain zones and in the lowlands (Vitosha mts., Osogovska planina mts., the riversides of Struma river, the Sofia plain), mainly grasslands
  • S. carpocapsae: in low mountain zones and in the lowlands (Vitosha mts., Osogovska planina mts., the riversides of Struma River, Rodopi mts.)
  • S. bicornutum: in low mountain zones and in the lowlands (Lozenska planina mts., the riversides of Struma river, the Sofia plain)
  • S. affine: mainly in mountain zones (Vitosha mts., Lozenska planina mts.), grasslands
  • S. intermedium: mainly in mountain zones (Vitosha mts., Osogovska planina mts.), woodlands
  • S. arenarium (unreported for Bulgaria till now)
  • S. sp. (closely related to S. waiseri, not reported for Bulgaria till now)
  • Heterorhabditis bacteriophora: mainly in sandy soils (the riversides of Struma river, Blak sea coast)
  • H. megidis (not reported for Bulgaria till now)

We have isolated over 300 strains of EPN, a part of which we support in the laboratory.

Also, we have detected some new natural hosts of EPN from Bulgaria.
They are:

  • Family Asilidae
  • Family Bibionidae, Bibio sp.
  • Family Carabidae, Harpalus sp.
  • Family Elateridae, Drasterius bimaculatus
  • Family Scarabaeidae
  • Family Curculionidae


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