Effects of temperature, relative humidity and time on survival of pinewood nematodes in wood chips

Abstract

Abstract The survival of two Canadian isolates of the pinewood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus , in coniferous wood chips under different temperatures, relative humidities and time intervals was investigated in vitro . The nature of the survival mechanism was examined and it was shown that the nematode's prolonged survival in the chips depended on its dispersal third larval stage. The possibility of PWN‐infested wood chips spreading PWN‐induced pine‐wilt disease to forests is discussed.