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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Byron, Georgia » Fruit and Tree Nut Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #418688
Research Project: Novel Approaches for Managing Key Pests of Peach and Pecan

Location: Fruit and Tree Nut Research

Title: Using Bacterial Toxins as Novel Biopesticides for Suppression of Pecan Pests

Author
item WU, SHAOHUI - The Ohio State University
item TOEWS, MICHAEL - University Of Georgia
item Cottrell, Ted
item SCHMIDT, JASON - University Of Georgia
item Shapiro Ilan, David

Submitted to: Pecan Grower
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/10/2024
Publication Date: 10/18/2024
Citation: Wu, S., Toews, M., Cottrell, T.E., Schmidt, J., Shapiro Ilan, D.I. 2024. Using Bacterial Toxins as Novel Biopesticides for Suppression of Pecan Pests. Pecan Grower. 26 (5) 22-34.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Beneficial nematodes, commercially available as biopesticides for pest control, are capable of killing insects due to their associated symbiotic bacteria in the gut. Here, we tested the bacteria Photorhabdus luminescens and Xenorhabdus bovienii, symbionts of the nematodes for toxicity to the black pecan aphid (Melanocallis caryaefoliae) and the blackmargined aphid (Monellia caryella), as well as a beneficial insect, the multicolored Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis) in the laboratory. We found that both bacteria had high toxicity to pecan aphids, especially against the blackmargined aphid the bacteria exhibited similar levels of control comparable to a pyrethroid insecticide (FanFare® 2EC). The bacteria were not as effective as the insecticide against the black pecan aphid but still provided significant control. Against the lady beetle, only the chemical insecticide was toxic, while neither bacterium caused significant insect mortality. These results suggest that the bacteria have potential to be used as novel biopesticides for pecan pest control while being safe to natural enemies (Wu et al., 2022). Based on the findings, we are continuing the funded research by identifying bioactive compounds that bacteria secrete, expanding the testing range of pecan pests and non-target organisms, and conducting field studies to evaluate the potential for practical use.