Modeling the dose acquisition process of Bacillus thuringiensis: influence of feeding pattern on survival
1995
Hall, F.R. | Chapple, A.C. | Taylor, R.A.J. | Downer, R.A.
Insecticide formulations and adjuvants are manipulated to optimize the pesticide deposit characteristics on the plant surface. The toxicity, deposit quality and quantity, together with the insect's pattern of feeding, determine the insecticide's efficacy. A model of the dose-transfer process, The Pesticide Drop Simulator, was used to investigate the effect of feeding and walking parameters of simulated insect foliar feeders on their survival when exposed to a leaf surface treated with a biological insecticide. Survival in the model was found to be most influenced by the speed of walking, the major determinant of the distance apart of feeding holes on the leaf. This result was obtained without explicitly simulating avoidance behavior, but is in agreement with findings where avoidance has been observed. These results serve to remind us how important the feeding, locomotory and searching behavior of defoliators is in the efficacy of pesticides. This conclusion is especially relevant to biological insecticides. The role of modeling in general and the utility of PDS in particular, in the evaluation of pesticide formulations and additives is also discussed.
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