Synergism between Bacillus thuringiensis and Xenorhabdus nematophila against resistant and susceptible Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)

ABSTRACT

The diamondback moth (DBM) Plutella xylostella (L.) is one of the most destructive pests of crucifer crops in many parts of the world. Inappropriate applications have caused DBM to become resistant to most insecticides. We tested the combined effects of the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and Xenorhabdus nematophila (Xn) against DBM. Populations of Bt-resistant moths (DBM-R), selected repeatedly with B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD-73 (Bt HD-73), showed resistance rates of 105.43 and 0.92 for Bt HD-73 and X. nematophila HB310 (Xn HB310), respectively. These results not only indicated that DBM-R is highly resistant to Bt HD-73 and only slightly resistant to Xn HB310, but also showed that there is no interactive resistance between the two bacteria. For the third-instar larvae of DBM-R and DBM-S, no significant differences were found in the oral insecticidal activities of Bt HD-73 + Xn HB310 combination treatments or Bt HD-73 alone. However, mortality rates were significantly increased in response to Xn HB310 + Bt HD-73 when compared with the Xn HB310-alone treatment. These results demonstrate a synergism of Bt on Xn, but no such effect of Xn on Bt. Therefore, our findings highlight the potential for both bacteria to be used in a mixture for field applications.

KEYWORDS:

• Bacillus thuringiensis
• Xenorhabdus nematophila
• synergism
• Plutella xylostella

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province of China [C2014204117] and Science and Technology Research Project of College and University in Hebei Province [QN2014105].