Bacillus thuringiensis monogenic strains: screening and interactions with insecticides used against rice pests

The screening of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Cry proteins with high potential to control insect pests has been the goal of numerous research groups. In this study, we evaluated six monogenic Bt strains (Bt dendrolimus HD-37, Bt kurstaki HD-1, Bt kurstaki HD-73, Bt thuringiensis 4412, Bt kurstaki NRD-12 and Bt entomocidus 60.5, which codify the cry1Aa, cry1Ab, cry1Ac, cry1Ba, cry1C, cry2A genes respectively) as potential insecticides for the most important insect pests of irrigated rice: Spodoptera frugiperda, Diatraea saccharalis, Oryzophagus oryzae, Oebalus poecilus and Tibraca limbativentris. We also analyzed their compatibility with chemical insecticides (thiamethoxam, labdacyhalothrin, malathion and fipronil), which are extensively used in rice crops. The bioassay results showed that Bt thuringiensis 4412 and Bt entomocidus 60.5 were the most toxic for the lepidopterans, with a 93% and 82% mortality rate for S. frugiperda and D. saccharalis, respectively. For O. oryzae, the Bt kurstaki NRD-12 (64%) and Bt dendrolimus HD-37 (62%) strains were the most toxic. The Bt dendrolimus HD-37 strain also caused high mortality (82%) to O. poecilus, however the strains assessed to T. limbativentris caused a maximum rate of 5%. The assays for the Bt strains interaction with insecticides revealed the compatibility of the six strains with the four insecticides tested. The results from this study showed the high potential of cry1Aa and cry1Ba genes for genetic engineering of rice plants or the strains to biopesticide formulations.

Interação entre Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Campoletis flavicincta (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) e Bacillus thuringiensis aizawai, em laboratório / Interaction between Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Campoletis flavicincta (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) and Bacillus thuringiensis aizawai, in laboratory

Lagartas de Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) sadias, parasitadas por Campoletis flavicincta (Ashmead), infectadas por Bacillus thuringiensis aizawai e parasitadas e infectadas foram obtidas em laboratório e alimentadas com folhas de milho. Lagartas parasitadas e infectadas apresentaram menor consumo foliar (em média, 2,3 cm²) que as demais, apesar de o mesmo não ter diferido do consumo de lagartas apenas parasitadas. A mortalidade média das lagartas parasitadas e infectadas foi superior (96,5 por cento) tanto à das parasitadas (78,4 por cento) quanto à das infectadas (44,3 por cento). Lagartas infectadas tiveram o período de alimentação (em média, 29,6 dias) similar ao das sadias, apesar de terem período larval mais longo. Indivíduos descendentes de casais de parasitóides, que emergiram de lagartas infectadas, não tiveram alteradas suas características biológicas. Portanto, o uso conjunto do parasitóide e da bactéria implica em maior mortalidade e menor consumo foliar de lagartas e não resulta em prejuízo para o parasitóide.

Larvae of healthy Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), parasitized by Campoletis flavicincta (Ashmead), infected by Bacillus thuringiensis aizawai, and both parasitized and infected, were obtained in the laboratory and fed with corn leaves. Parasitized and infected larvae showed less leaf consumption (in average 2.3 cm²) than the others, but did not differ from only parasitized larvae. Mean mortality of larvae both parasitized and infected was higher (96.5 percent) than the only parasitized (78.4 percent) and only infected ones (44.3 percent). The feeding period of the infected larvae (in average 29.6 days) did not differ from that of the healthy ones, in spite of having a longer larval period. Offsprings from pairs of parasitoids that had emerged from infected larvae did not have the biological characteristics modified. Therefore, the combined use of the parasitoid and the bacterium results in higher mortality and less foliar consumption and does not result in damage to the parasitoid.

Susceptibility of Nasutitermes ehrhardti (Isoptera: Termitidae) to Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies

The effects of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Berliner on the termite Nasutitermes ehrhardti (Isoptera, Termitidae) were evaluated under laboratory conditions. From 55 Bt subspecies assayed in vivo under controlled conditions seven were found to be pathogenic in the subspecies yunnanensis, huazhongiensis, brasiliensis, colmeri and kurstaki (less than 72 percent of mortality), particularly sooncheon and roskildiensis (100 percent mortality at the seventh day after the bacteria application). The LC50 for subspecie sooncheon corresponded to 47x10(8),()66.2x10(6) and 5.1x10(5) cells/ml, at the third, fifth and seventh day, respectively. For the subspecie roskildiensis the LC50 corresponded to 30.8x10(5), 48.4x10(6) and 16.8x10(4) cells/ml, at the third, fifth and seventh day, respectively. The results show that the two most pathogenic subspecies effectively may be studied with regard to control the termite N. ehrhardti