Issue |
Agron. Sustain. Dev.
Volume 28, Number 1, January-March 2008
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Page(s) | 11 - 20 | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/agro:2007054 | |
Published online | 29 February 2008 |
DOI: 10.1051/agro:2007054
Bacillus thuringiensis: applications in agriculture and insect resistance management. A review
Vincent Sanchis1 and Denis Bourguet21 Unité de Génétique Microbienne et Environnement, INRA La Minière, 78285 Guyancourt Cedex, France
2 Centre de Biologie et de Gestion des Populations, UMR INRA-IRD-Montpellier SupAgro-CIRAD, Campus International de Baillarguet, 34988 Montferrier sur Lez, France
(Accepted 22 November 2007; published online 29 February 2008)
Abstract - Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a sporulating, Gram-positive facultative-aerobic soil bacterium. Its principal characteristic is the synthesis, during sporulation, of a crystalline inclusion containing proteins known as -endotoxins or
Cry proteins. These proteins have insecticidal properties. The considerable
diversity of these toxins, their efficacy and their relatively cheap
production have made Bt the most widely used biopesticide in the world. It is
used in the fight against many agricultural crop pests - mostly lepidopteran
and coleopteran larvae - notably in the creation of new plant varieties
expressing Bt cry genes. For human health, Bt can be used for the effective control of populations of several dipteran disease vectors. The aim of this review is
to provide an overview of the use of Bt for crop protection and to deal with
the problem of the emergence of insects resistant to this biopesticide. We
will begin by presenting various aspects of the biology of this
entomopathogenic micro-organism, focusing on the diversity and mode of
action of the insecticidal toxins it produces. We will then present several
examples of utilization of commercially available Bt products used as sprays
or as transgenic crops. Finally, we will describe the principal strategy for
the use of Bt transgenic plants, developed so as to prevent or delay the
emergence of resistance in target insect populations.
Key words: Bacillus thuringiensis / biopesticide /

Corresponding author: vincent.sanchis@jouy.inra.fr
© INRA, EDP Sciences 2007