Mr. Mcguire et al., SURVIVAL OF OSTRINIA-NUBILALIS (HUBNER) AFTER EXPOSURE TO BACILLUS-THURINGIENSIS BERLINER ENCAPSULATED IN FLOUR MATRICES, Journal of entomological science, 29(4), 1994, pp. 496-508
Two types of pregelatinized corn flour were used to produce granules c
ontaining Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner subsp. kurstaki and various
additives for control of the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (
Hubner), in the whorl of corn plants. Laboratory-reared larvae were ap
plied to corn whorls in the greenhouse and field, and a high natural i
nfestation occurred at one field site (Champaign). In the greenhouse a
nd at all three field sites, five of these formulations were just as e
ffective as Dipel 10G, a commercially available B. thuringiensis produ
ct, for control of European corn borer larvae. In all greenhouse studi
es and at one of the three field sites (Champaign), the dose of B. thu
ringiensis could be reduced by as much as 75% when a phagostimulant wa
s added to flour granules without significant loss of corn borer contr
ol. The phagostimulant dose response was not observed at the other two
field sites in which larval infestations were relatively low. Flour t
ype had no significant effect on European corn borer control under gre
enhouse and field conditions. Greenhouse evaluations provided results
significantly similar to results from two of the field sites indicatin
g the usefulness of the technique. The data presented highlight the ve
rsatility and potential for using novel formulation techniques for enh
ancing the efficacy of B. thuringiensis.