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High insecticidal activity
of Leclercia adecarboxylata isolated from
Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Col.: Chrysomelidae)
Hacer Muratoglu, Hatice Kati, Zihni Demirbag and Kazım
Sezen*
Karadeniz Technical University, Faculty of Arts and
Sciences, Department of Biology, 61080 Trabzon, Turkey.
*Corresponding author. E-mail:
sezen@ktu.edu.tr.
Accepted 14 April, 2009 |
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Colorado potato beetle (CPB),
Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), is an important pest
on solanaceous crops worldwide. CPB has developed resistance
to insecticides used for its control. In this study, in
order to find a more effective and safer biological control
agent against L. decemlineata, we studied the
bacterial flora of CPB, and tested them for insecticidal
effects on it. The highest insecticidal effect determined on
L. decemlineata within 5 days was 100% and this
effect was exhibited by Ld1 isolate. According to the
morphological, physiological and biochemical tests, and 16S
rRNA sequence homologies, Ld1 was identified as Leclercia
adecarboxylata. This is the first time that this
bacterium has been isolated from any insect pests. Our
results indicate that Lecl. adecarboxylata may be
valuable as a biological control agent for L.
decemlineata.
Key words:
Insecticidal activity, Leclercia adecarboxylata,
Leptinotarsa decemlineata, microbial control. |
