A semi-field bioassay method using commonly available laundry tubs evaluated efficacy and residual activity of 6 granular corncob formulations of Bacillus thuringiensis serovar israelensis against laboratory-reared late 3rd- and early 4th-instar larvae of Aedes taeniorhynchus introduced to the tubs. These formulations produced appreciable larval mortalities (up to 75%) for 9 days posttreatment,...

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a unicellular green alga, has been used in bioassay detection of a variety of toxic compounds such as pesticides and toxic metals, but mainly using liquid culture systems. In this study, an algal lawn-agar system for semi-quantitative bioassay of herbicidal activities has been developed. Sixteen different herbicides belonging to 11 different categories were applied to...

Clostridium botulinum produces a characteristic botulinum neurotoxin which can cause an often fatal neuroparalytic condition known as botulism. Although food-borne botulism is rare, critical screening by food companies is necessary to ensure that food products are safe. At present, the food industry assesses the risks of botulinum neurotoxin production by challenge testing to check any new food...

A bioassay method detecting deformations of mycelia germinated from conidia of Pyricularia oryzae P-2b, has been modified to give quantitative estimations. The method was first developed using antimitotic agents which showed characteristic curling effect. Morphological deformations include curling, swelling, hyper-divergency, beads shape and so on, and inhibition of the germination was also obs...