Laboratorio de Protección Vegetal, Centro de Estudios Botánicos y Agroforestales, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Av. 8 con calle 79, Maracaibo C.P. 4001, Venezuela. Electronic address:
Published: September 2014
AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
The life cycle of four Steinernema species was observed in 4 insect micro-insect host species (less than 5mm long). Several parameters were measured: sex ratio of invading nematodes, percentages of host infection and offspring production, penetration rate of infective juveniles per insect and number of new generation of infective juveniles. All parameters varied among nematode species, micro-host species and application rates. All Steinernema species were capable to invade micro-insect hosts, however, invasion decreased as insect size decreased and as nematode species size increased. None of the nematode species achieved 100% mortality in the micro-hosts. Due to size differences in the nematode species, Steinernema glaseri was less capable of completing its life cycle and unable to invade smaller hosts whereas S. riobrave completed its life cycle in smaller hosts more frequently. The number of invading nematodes and the number of offspring produced had the same levels regardless of the nematode application rates, those results showed a maximum top in the number of individuals per micro-insect host. The offspring production in thrips species was only possible by endotokia matricida in S. riobrave. The sex of the invader nematodes also impeded the life cycle of S. affine because males colonized the entire body of the micro-insect host leaving no room for female invasion. The size of the host plays an irrefutable role in limiting the development of nematodes and it appears improbable that an entomopathogenic nematode population can persist in the soil without the presence of bigger insects.
Increasing electrode thickness is a key strategy to boost energy density in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), which is essential for electric vehicles and energy storage applications. However, thick electrodes face significant challenges, including poor ion transport, long diffusion paths, and mechanical instability, all of which degrade battery performance. To overcome these barriers, a novel micro-electric-field (μ-EF) process is introduced that enhances particle alignment during fabrication with reduced distance between anode and cathode.
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