Insect resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis delta-endotoxin
1990
McGaughey, W.H.
Plodia interpunctella, a major lepidopteran pest of stored grain and cereal products, is the first insect species found to develop resistance to the delta-endotoxin of Bacillus thuringiensis. Under laboratory selection pressure using a commercial formulation of the HD-1 strain of B. thuringiensis, resistance progressed rapidly to very high levels in five moth strains collected from different regions of the United States. Only very low levels of resistance have been observed to date under field conditions, but field studies have been limited. The resistance may be due primarily to a single gene and appears to be inherited as an incompletely recessive trait. Resistance is stable when selection pressure is discontinued. All of the resistant P. interpunctella strains are resistant to both spores and crystals, but remain susceptible to beta-exotoxin. They are cross-resistant to many but not all isolates of B. thuringiensis. The physiological mechanism of the resistance has not been elucidated. Potential mechanisms are discussed, as well as the practical implications of B. thuringiensis resistance in stored grain and other pest management programs, including those involving gene transfer technologies.
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