Activity of Bacillus thuringiensis toxins against cocoa pod borer larvae.
Twelve Cry proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner were tested in bioassays on cacao plantations in Indonesia for activity against the larvae of cocoa pod borer (Conopomorpha cramerella (Snellen)), an insect pest of the cacao tree. Through the damage caused by their feeding, the larvae of cocoa pod borer cause the pods of the cocoa tree to ripen prematurely. They are difficult to control with conventional measures. Preliminary assays identified five toxins that were more active than others. In two subsequent bioassays the activity of selected toxins was determined more accurately. Three Cryl proteins with relatively little homology were all found to be toxic, opening perspectives for controlling cocoa pod borer by expression of Cry proteins in transgenic plants.
Santoso
Djoko
D
Biotechnology Research Institute for Estate Crops, Taman Kencana, Bogor, Indonesia.
Chaidamsari
Tetty
T
Wiryadiputra
Soekadar
S
de Maagd
Ruud A
RA
D000818:Animals; D000083722:Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000633:toxicity*; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D001681:Biological Assay; D002099:Cacao / Q000469:parasitology; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; D007306:Insecticides / Q000633:toxicity*; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D007915:Lepidoptera / Q000187:drug effects*; D010572:Pest Control, Biological / Q000379:methods
D000083722:Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004731:Endotoxins; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; D007306:Insecticides; C030956:insecticidal crystal protein, Bacillus Thuringiensis