Abstract
Background: Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) of the Steinernema and Heterorhabditis genera are commercialized since the 1970s to control crop-damaging insect pests. However, their utilization remains quite low in the bio-pesticide market. They are particularly effective against Lepidoptera and Coleoptera. These EPNs carry their bacterial symbionts Xenorhabdus and Photorhabdus (Morganellacae) in their digestive tract. Once the EPNs have penetrated insect larvae in the soil, the symbiotic bacteria multiply and kill their hosts by septicemia within 24 to 48 hours. Since 1999, the DGIMI unit maintains a unique collection of living EPNs containing 140 strains. The collection includes 26 species of the Steinernema genus, totaling 100 strains (stored at 9°C), and 3 species of the Heterorhabditis genus, comprising 40 strains (stored at 15°C). This unique resource, rich in biological diversity, originates from soils of international provenance (Czech Republic, Lebanon, South Africa, USA, Ireland, Italy, Belgium, ...). Since 2016, the collection has been associated with the environmental pillar of the Agronomic Resource Center for Research: https://www.brc4env.fr/BRCs-and-collections/Invertebrates/Nematodes/Entomopathogenic-nematodes. Recently, prospective soil sampling has been carried out in cultivated fields in various French regions (Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Bretagne, Normandie, Languedoc) for national research projects and private collaborations. These soil samples were used for ex-situ isolation of EPN. 150 additional isolates have been added to the initial collection. Each isolate is characterized in terms of taxonomy, pathology on different insects and description of the associated microbiota. Given the exponential growth of the EPN collection, we develop a database (Postgresql with phpPgAdmin web interface) to improve the internal management of the EPN collection, guaranteeing the traceability of isolates and their associated metadata.