Promise for plant pest control: root-associated pseudomonads with insecticidal activities.

ABSTRACT: Insects are an important and probably the most challenging pest to control in agriculture, in particular when they feed on belowground parts of plants. The application of synthetic pesticides is problematic owing to side effects on the environment, concerns for public health and the rapid development of resistance. Entomopathogenic bacteria, notably Bacillus thuringiensis and Photorhabdus/Xenorhabdus species, are promising alternatives to chemical insecticides, for they are able to efficiently kill insects and are considered to be environmentally sound and harmless to mammals. However, they have the handicap of showing limited environmental persistence or of depending on a nematode vector for insect infection. Intriguingly, certain strains of plant root-colonizing Pseudomonas bacteria disp

SUBMITTER: Kupferschmied P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3728486 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature