Purple Bacteria to Combat Crop Pests
December 14, 2007| |
The US Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has licensed the use of a bacterium to combat crop pests. Chromobacterium subtsugae, a violet pigmented bacterium first isolated in Maryland, was found to be toxic to the Colorado potato beetle larvae and in varying degrees to the tobacco hornworm, gypsy moth and small hive beetle. ARS has given the license to Marrone Organic Innovations and Natural Industries, Inc.
Previous studies showed that the bacterium is also toxic to western corn rootworm, southern corn rootworm, white flies, and diamondback moth. The bacterium was granted a permit as a biocontrol agent earlier this year. Further studies are being made to determine the potential toxicity of the bacterium to non-target insects. If the genetic basis of the toxin will be established, it will be possible to transfer the trait to crops, like the Bacillus thuringensis (Bt) toxin.
Read the news article at http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=1261 The abstract of the paper published by the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology is available at http://ijs.sgmjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/57/5/993
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