Protease inhibitors in legumes are one of the most promising weapons that confer resistance against insects by inhibiting proteases present in the gut of insect larvae. In the present study, trypsin inhibitor activity was detected in the seed flour extracts of 10 selected varieties of chickpea. The presence of inhibitor was confirmed by dot blot analysis. All the varieties showed inhibitory act...

We tested the behavioral responses of ovipositing females and natal larvae of two sibling species, a generalist Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) and a specialist Helicoverpa assulta (Guenée), to odor sources emitted from different combinations of six plant species (tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum; hot pepper, Capsicum annuum; tomato, Solanum esculentum; cotton, Gossypium hirsutum; peanut, Arachis hypog...

New cell lines from embryos of Ephestia kuehniella were recently developed. Primary cultures were initiated in September 2002 from 2 to 4 day old eggs in either modified TC-100 or ExCell 400 medium. From these initial cultures, one, originally isolated in the Ex-Cell medium, produced sufficient cell growth to allow subcultivation and eventually led to the establishment of two cell strains, one ...

The effects of neem oil (Nimbecidine 0.03% Aza) and water extracts of neem seed and leaf on African bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera were studied each at three concentration levels (2.5%, 5% and 10%) under laboratory condition. Square dip and larval immersion experiments were conducted using Completely Randomized Design in three replications. In square dip experiment, high mortalities were statis...

For a long time, it has been assumed that the mode of action of Cry2A toxins was unique and different from that of other three-domain Cry toxins due to their apparent nonspecific and unsaturable binding to an unlimited number of receptors. However, based on the homology of the tertiary structure among three-domain Cry toxins, similar modes of action for all of them are expected. To confirm this...

Increased temperature anomaly during the twenty-first century coincides with the proliferation of transgenic crops containing the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner) (Bt) to express insecticidal Cry proteins. Increasing temperatures profoundly affect insect life histories and agricultural pest management. However, the implications of climate change on Bt crop-pest interactions and insec...

An affinity purified trypsin inhibitor from the seed flour extracts of Madhuca indica (MiTI) on denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that MiTI consisted of a single polypeptide chain with molecular mass of ~19.8 kDa. MiTI inhibited the total proteolytic and trypsin-like activities of the midgut proteinases of Helicoverpa armigera larvae by 87.51% and 76.12%, respectively, at con...

Transgenic crops producing insecticidal toxins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have been grown in many parts of the world since 1996. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has required that industry submit insect resistance management (IRM) plans for each Bt corn and cotton product commercialized. A coalition of stakeholders including the EPA, USDA, acad...

The aim of the study was to test the effect of three flavonoids on growth and survival of Helicoverpa armigera (Hüb) and Spodoptera litura (Fab.). A set of experiments were carried out with varying concentrations of three flavonoids namely chlorogenic acid, quercetin and rutin at 23±1oC on growth, development and mortality of larvae of pod borer Helicoverpa armigera and tobacco caterpillar Spod...