Abstract: Entomopathogenic nematodes are important biological control agents of insect pests. The tolerance capability of the nematodes to the abiotic stress may greatly affect the survival and performance in pest control in fields. Response of entomopathogenic nematodes to abotic stress is complex and involves the processes of variation of population genetic, life stage, biochemical and physiological changes, and differential expression of related genes. This paper reviews the recent research progress in response mechanisms of entomopathogenic nematodes to abiotic stress, mainly focusing on the achievements in identification and function analysis of tolerance-related genes of entomopathogenic nematodes. The trends of this research field are also discussed. We expect to provide some useful information for conducting similar research in China.

Key words: Entomopathogenic nematodes, abiotic stress, response mechanisms, tolerance-related genes, biological control agents