Bacillus thuringiensis: a century of research, development and commercial applications.

By G. Sanahuja, R. Banakar, R. Twyman, T. Capell, P. Christou. Plant Biotechnology Journal, 2011

756 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a soil bacterium that forms spores during the stationary phase of its growth cycle. The spores contain crystals, predominantly comprising one or more Cry and/or Cyt proteins (also known as δ-endotoxins) that have potent and specific insecticidal activity. Different strains of Bt produce different types of toxin, each of which affects a narrow taxonomic group of insects. Therefore, Bt toxins have been used as topical pesticides to protect crops, and more recently the proteins have been expressed in transgenic plants to confer inherent pest resistance. Bt transgenic crops have been overwhelmingly successful and beneficial, leading to higher yields and reducing the use of chemical pesticides and fossil fuels. However, their deployment has attracted some criticism particularly with regard to the potential evolution of pest-resistant insect strains. Here, we review recent progress in the development of Bt technology and the countermeasures that have been introduced to prevent the evolution of resistant insect populations.

Subfields: Insect Science, Molecular Biology, Plant Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/6e8d4c96cc4c94385ecbac2d48b6c0c52d184413

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Insect Science

1. Philipp Engel
2. N. Moran
3. Yidong Wu
4. John F. Tooker
5. S. Frank
6. G. Fitt
7. M. Ongena
8. A. E. Douglas

In Molecular Biology

1. Yidong Wu
2. John F. Tooker
3. N. Moran
4. Philipp Engel
5. G. Fitt
6. M. Ongena

In Plant Science

1. Yidong Wu
2. W. Bettiol
3. John F. Tooker
4. N. Moran
5. Patrick Fickers
6. S. Frank
7. Philipp Engel
8. G. Fitt

Citations in the corpus

• Chapter Six – Detection and Mechanisms of Resistance Evolved in Insects to Cry Toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis (2014, background): “Sawicki (1987) modified Crow’s”
• The gut microbiota of insects - diversity in structure and function. (2013, background): “…bacteria producing insecticidal toxins is a common method in agricultural pest control, but can also be used in the management of mosquitoes transmitting human diseases (Becker, 2000; Ffrench-Constant & Waterfield, 2006; Ffrench-Constant et al., 2007; Bravo et al., 2011; Sanahuja et al., 2011).”
• Bacillus-based biological control of plant diseases (2011, background): “A diversity of products based on Bt toxins are being used on many crops and Bt toxins are even used to limit mosquito population in the context of malaria (Sanahuja et al., 2011).”
• Genotypically diverse cultivar mixtures for insect pest management and increased crop yields (2012, background): “wherein susceptible varieties are planted alongside insectresistant Bt varieties as a refuge for Bt-susceptible pests (Onstad et al. 2011; Sanahuja et al. 2011).”
• A review on biological interactions and management of the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) (2021, background): “…has been extensively exploited for the management of numerous insect pest species, either through the creation of transgenic plants expressing the genes encoding Bt toxins, or through the use of sprays containing live spores and endotoxins of B. thuringiensis (James, 2016; Sanahuja et al., 2011).”