Serratia marcescens is a Gram negative bacterium (Enterobacteriaceae) often associated with infection of insects. In order to find pathogenic bacteria with the potential to control scarab larvae, several bacterial strains were isolated from the hemocoel of diseased Phyllophaga spp (Coleoptera:Scarabaeidae) larvae collected from cornfields in Mexico. Five isolates were identified as Serratia mar...

Commercial formulations and unformulated conidia of Beauveria bassiana strain GHA were applied to field-grown plants and artificially infested with Trichoplusia ni (Hübner) larvae to compare the relative insecticidal activity resulting from direct spray contact with insecticidal activity due to contact with dry spray residue. In general, applications to cabbage, Brassica oleracea L., resulted i...

Mimosine, a non-protein amino acid, is found in several tropical and subtropical plants, which has high value for medicine and agricultural chemicals. Here, in continuation of works aimed to development of natural product-based pesticidal agents, we present the first significant findings for insecticidal and nematicidal activities of novel mimosine derivatives. Interestingly, mimosinol and deut...

In a continuing effort to develop novel β-carbolines endowed with better insecticidal activity, a simple high-yielding method for the synthesis of harmine compounds starting from L-tryptophan has been developed and a series of 1,3-substituted β-carboline derivatives have been synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxicity against insect cultured Sf9 cell line in vitro and insecticidal activit...

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) X022 is a novel strain isolated from soil in China, and showed strong insecticidal activity against several Lepidopteran pests. In this work, we performed whole genome sequencing of this Bt strain using the next-generation sequencing technology, and further conducted a comparative analysis with the proteomics data of the specific spore-release period based on LC-MS/M...

Particular groups of plant-beneficial fluorescent pseudomonads are not only root colonizers that provide plant disease suppression, but in addition are able to infect and kill insect larvae. The mechanisms by which the bacteria manage to infest this alternative host, to overcome its immune system, and to ultimately kill the insect are still largely unknown. However, the investigation of the few...

Plants respond to pest attack, among other mechanisms, by producing specific proteins with insecticidal properties. Proteins toxic effects on insects have also been discovered in many organisms, especially fungi and bacteria. Due their biological function, represent an important potential the development of more environmentally friendly plant protection methods. Increasing knowledge about mode ...

CONTEXT Insects can be the cause of major ecological problems; they can transmit microbes and parasites that affect humans, and damage food crops, trees, and homes. The total economic cost of insect-related damage and disease is immeasurable. In traditional Iranian medicine (TIM), several medicinal plants have been identified as insecticides or insect repellents, but many of them are still unkn...

The use of mixtures of transgenic insecticidal seed and nontransgenic seed to provide an in-field refuge for susceptible insects in insect-resistance-management (IRM) plans has been considered for at least two decades. However, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has only recently authorized the practice. This commentary explores issues that regulators, industry, and other stakeholders sho...

Western corn rootworm (WCR, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte) is a major corn pest in the United States, causing annual losses of over $1 billion. One approach to protect against crop loss by this insect is the use of transgenic corn hybrids expressing one or more crystal (Cry) proteins derived from Bacillus thuringiensis. Cry34Ab1 and Cry35Ab1 together comprise a binary insecticidal toxi...