New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science
abstracts
Identification and pathogenicity of entomopathogenic bacteria from common
cockchafer, Melolontha
melolontha (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)
K. Sezen
İ. Demir
Z. Demirbağ
Department of Biology
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Karadeniz Technical University
61080, Trabzon, Turkey
email: zihni@ktu.edu.tr
Abstract Melolontha melolontha larvae are susceptible to
several pathogens indigenous to the area in which these insects occur in Turkey.
We isolated and identified seven bacterial strains from M. melolontha and
evaluated their pathogenic activity during three hazelnut seasons from 2002
to 2004 on larvae of M. melolontha. Using various morphological, physiological,
and biochemical characteristics in detail, bacterial isolates were identified
as Pseudomonas sp., Bacillus
thuringiensis, Pseudomonas sp., Enterobacter sp., B. sphaericus, Acinetobacter sp.,
and B. weihenstephanensis. The insecticidal activity of isolates at
1.8 × 109
bacteria/ml dose, within 10 days on the larvae of M. melolontha are
40% for Pseudomonas sp., 80% for Bacillus thuringiensis, 50%
for Pseudomonas sp.,
20% for Enterobacter sp., 60% for B. sphaericus, and80% for B.
weihenstephanensis. We also purified crystals from B. thuringiensis and B.
sphaericus and tested the insecticidal activity on the larvae of M. melolontha. In
crystal protein bioassays, the highest insecticidal effect detected was 70%
with crystals of B. thuringiensis. Our results indicate that indigenous B.
thuringiensis and B. weihenstephanensis isolates and crystal of B.
thuringiensis may be valuable as biological control agents.
Keywords Melolontha melolontha; bacterial flora; biological
control; insecticidal activity
New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 2007, Vol. 35:
79–85
0014–0671/07/3501–0079 © The Royal
Society of New Zealand 2007
H05146; Online publication date 20 March 2007. Received 11 November
2005; accepted 13 November 2006
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