Pest management through Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) in a tea-silkworm ecosystem: status and potential prospects.

Pest management through Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) in a tea-silkworm ecosystem: status and potential prospects. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2017 Jan 31;: Authors: Dashora K, Roy S, Nagpal A, Roy SM, Flood J, Prasad AK, Khetarpal R, Neave S, Muraleedharan N Abstract Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a soil bacterium that forms spores containing crystals comprising one or more Cry or Cyt proteins having potential and specific insecticidal activity. Different strains of Bt produce different types of toxins, affecting a narrow taxonomic group of insects. Therefore, it is used in non-chemical pest management, including inherent pest resistance through GM crops. The specificity of action of Bt toxins reduces the concern of adverse effects on non-target species, a concern which remains with chemical insecticides as well. To make use of Bt more sustainable, new strains expressing novel toxins are actively being sought globally. Since Bt is successfully used against many pests including the lepidopteran pests in different crop groups, the insecticidal activity against Samia cynthia (Drury) (Eri silkworm) and Antheraea assamensis Helfer (Muga silkworm) becomes a concern in the state of Assam in India which is a predominantly tea- and silk-producing zone. Though Bt can be used as an effective non-chemical approach for pest management for tea pests in the same geographical region, yet, it may potentially affect the silk industry which depends on si...
Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - Category: Microbiology Authors: Tags: Appl Microbiol Biotechnol Source Type: research