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Recent Advances in Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Insecticides and Bt Crops:...
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Recent Advances in Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Insecticides and Bt Crops: Challenges and Opportunities

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Pest and Vector Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 1005

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Camilo Ayra-Pardo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CIIMAR–Interdisciplinary Center of Marine and Environmental Research, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, University of Porto, Avda. General Norton de Matos s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
Interests: insecticides; resistance; Bacillus thuringiensis; Bt crops; molecular host–pathogen interactions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Denis J. Wright

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Emeritus Professor of Pest Management, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, UK
Interests: insecticides; resistance; Bacillus thuringiensis; biocontrol; IPM; multi-trophic interactions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is dedicated to the multifaceted role of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) in sustainable agriculture, emphasizing its significance as a biological insecticide and a cornerstone of modern pest control strategies. Bt is renowned for its high specificity, primarily due to its insecticidal toxins, which effectively target a broad range of agricultural pests without harming beneficial organisms or natural predators. This unique attribute has made Bt the most widely produced and used microbial insecticide globally, playing a key role in organic farming and integrated pest management. Additionally, Bt crops—genetically modified plants that express Bt toxins—are the most widely grown GM crop in agriculture, underscoring their importance in conventional farming systems. This Special Issue covers the latest advancements in Bt research, including the development of new Bt strains and Bt crops, the molecular mechanisms underlying the mode of action of Bt toxins, Bt resistance management, and the ecological impact of Bt applications. By bringing together the most recent studies and expert insights, this Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current status and future directions of Bt technology in global agriculture.

Dr. Camilo Ayra-Pardo
Prof. Dr. Denis J. Wright
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biopesticides
  • insecticidal toxins
  • genetically modified organisms (GMO)
  • Bt strain development
  • Bt crops
  • agricultural biotechnology

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

12 pages, 2736 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Control Efficacy of Bt Maize Expressing Cry1Ab and Vip3Aa Proteins Against Agrotis ypsilon (Rottemberg)
by Wenhui Wang, Yuting He, Huan Yu, Xianming Yang and Kongming Wu
Insects 2025, 16(2), 119; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16020119 - 26 Jan 2025
Viewed by 612
Abstract
Bt maize is the main means to control many lepidopteran pests in the world, but its control efficacy against Agrotis ypsilon (Rottemberg), an important insect pest of maize seedlings, remains unclear until now. The interaction between the insect and Bt transgenic maize events [...] Read more.
Bt maize is the main means to control many lepidopteran pests in the world, but its control efficacy against Agrotis ypsilon (Rottemberg), an important insect pest of maize seedlings, remains unclear until now. The interaction between the insect and Bt transgenic maize events (DBN9936 (expressing Cry1Ab), DBN9501 (expressing Vip3Aa), and DBN3601T (expressing Cry1Ab and Vip3Aa)) was investigated using bioassay and insect behavioral tests. The results show that the Cry1Ab contents in different tissues of DBN9936 were 47.78–82.60 μg·g−1, and the Vip3Aa contents in DBN9501 were 15.29–27.78 μg·g−1. The contents of Cry1Ab and Vip3Aa in DBN3601T were 32.08–79.08 and 10.16–17.52 μg·g−1, respectively. There was no significant difference in total Bt protein content between the leaves and stems; however, that the content in both was significantly higher than that in the roots. The larvae were most sensitive to the Vip3Aa protein, and the corrected mortalities of larvae feeding on DBN9501 and DBN3601T were greater than 89.65% at the seedling stage, significantly higher than those feeding on DBN9936 (16.46–76.13%). The corrected mortalities of the third to the fifth instar larvae feeding on Bt maize root were as follows: DBN3601T (54.00–96.60%) > DBN9501 (24.67–70.88%) > DBN9936 (6.67–53.31%). The results of behavioral tests for Bt/non-Bt maize plant selection indicated that the larvae mainly fed on non-Bt maize while showing antifeedant behavior toward Bt maize, and the moth preferred to lay eggs on undamaged or slightly damaged Bt maize. It is concluded that DBN3601T maize has a strong control efficacy for A. ypsilon, which can play an important role in building an integrated pest management strategy for the insect. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Insecticides and Bt Crops: Challenges and Opportunities)
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