The EU, as well as other countries in the world, is starting to restrict or ban chemical insecticides. This creates a strong need to find alternatives for controlling economically important insect pests. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are already widely applied as an environmentally friendly biological control method for agricultural pests around the world. Despite the applicability of EPNs, a number of questions arise regarding their biology, distribution, diversity, and ecology, which are important for the effectiveness of their application. In Lithuania, biodiversity of EPNs is unknown, thus the basis for studies on interactions with other organisms has not been established.
The species composition and diversity of EPNs and their symbiont bacteria in Lithuanian soils will be studied. It is expected to isolate and identify new bioactive chemical compounds affecting EPN behavior, which may serve as targets for the selection of crop varieties with higher resistance to pests due to the exploitation of natural potential.