Sustainable Wireworm Control in Wheat via Selected <i>Bacillus thuringiensis</i> Strains: A Biocontrol Perspective
2025
Marina Dervišević Milenković | Magdalena Knežević | Marina Jovković | Jelena Maksimović | Uroš Buzurović | Jelena Pavlović | Aneta Buntić
Wireworms are often referred as a hardly manageable group of pests due to their unstable lifestyle and uneven distribution in soils. The current strategy of wireworm control involves the heavy use of chemical pesticides. To find an effective and eco-friendly biological control agent against wireworms, evaluation of bacterial properties and insecticidal effects of six <i>Bacillus thuringiensis</i> (<i>Bt</i>) strains against <i>Agriotes lineatus</i> was performed under laboratory conditions. The presence of <i>cry11</i>, <i>cyt2</i> and <i>krsA</i> gene was detected in <i>Bt</i> strain BHC 2.4, while the same strain had the ability to produce siderophores, protease, amylase and cellulase. Single inoculums of <i>Bt</i> strains (BHC 2.4; BHC 4.5; BHC 4.7; 1.5; 4.3; 6.1) showed mortality against <i>Agriotes lineatus</i> larvae in the range of 6.67–72.22%. However, the compatible <i>Bt</i> dual cultures showed significantly higher efficiency in comparison with the single inoculums, with the highest efficiency of 79.63% recorded for <i>Bt</i> strain BHC 2.4 + <i>Bt</i> strain 1.5. The efficiency of applied <i>Bt</i> strains might be associated with the presence of genes coding for antibiotics and toxins. Therefore, the use of selected <i>Bt</i> strains applied in a form of compatible mixes could offer a sustainable solution for wireworm management in wheat.
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