Development of Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner isolates for the control of the oriental fruit fly, Bacterocera sp.
2000
Padua, L.E. | Bautista, M.A.M. | Alviar, C.C. | Eugenio, E.M. | Hirao, A.L. (Philippines Univ. Los Banos, College, Laguna (Philippines). National Inst. of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology)
The oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera sp. is considered a serious pest and constant threat to mango production. The insect pest impedes the free movement and trade of these perishable items because of strict quarantine restrictions that have to be imposed to limit its spread. Infestation by this dreaded species causes an average loss of 20% annually in the local fruit industry. Where control, suppression and eradication are the objectives, a combination of sterile fly release, aerial bait spraying (incorporating synthetic chemicals), and male annihilation has been successfully used. Currently, there is an opposition to the use of synthetic insecticide in bait sprays because of their ecological and toxicological effects. The availability of biological agent to be used against this insect could solve many of the toxicological environmental problems caused by insecticides. One such biological agent is Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a spore-forming soil bacterium which produces an insecticidal crystal protein. The aim of the present study is to search for Bt strains active against the adult oriental fruit flies and develop them as excellent substitute to insecticides in bait attractants. Seven out of 187 Bt isolates have already been selected against adult flies. Bt isolates LEP 1(9), LEP 3 (c), LEP 6(4), LEP 7(3), LEP 7(15) and LEP 8(5) caused 50% mortality after 7 days exposure to treated artificial diet. In an effort to find novel toxins from these isolates, initial characterization was done by SDS-PAGE. Their plasmid profiles were also determined. All selected isolates demonstrated characteristic SDS-PAGE protein profiles and plasmid patterns
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