Bacillus thuringiensis: applications in agriculture and insect resistance management. A review
2008
Sanchis, Vincent | Bourguet, Denis | Unité de recherches de génétique microbienne et environnement ; Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) | Centre de Biologie pour la Gestion des Populations (UMR CBGP) ; Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [Occitanie])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro)
International audience
Show more [+] Less [-]English. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a sporulating, Gram-positive facultative-aerobic soil bacterium. Its principal characteristic is the synthesis, during sporulation, of a crystalline inclusion containing proteins known as δ-endotoxins or Cry proteins. These proteins have insecticidal properties. The considerable diversity of these toxins, their efficacy and their relatively cheap production have made Bt the most widely used biopesticide in the world. It is used in the fight against many agricultural crop pests – mostly lepidopteran and coleopteran larvae – notably in the creation of new plant varieties expressing Bt cry genes. For human health, Bt can be used for the effective control of populations of several dipteran disease vectors. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the use of Bt for crop protection and to deal with the problem of the emergence of insects resistant to this biopesticide. We will begin by presenting various aspects of the biology of this entomopathogenic micro-organism, focusing on the diversity and mode of action of the insecticidal toxins it produces. We will then present several examples of utilization of commercially available Bt products used as sprays or as transgenic crops. Finally, we will describe the principal strategy for the use of Bt transgenic plants, developed so as to prevent or delay the emergence of resistance in target insect populations.
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