Sustainable Wireworm Control in Wheat via Selected Bacillus thuringiensis Strains: A Biocontrol Perspective

Marina Dervišević Milenković, Magdalena Knežević, Marina Jovković, Jelena Maksimović, Uroš Buzurović, Jelena Pavlović () and Aneta Buntić
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Marina Dervišević Milenković: Institute of Pesticides and Environmental Protection, Banatska 31b, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia
Magdalena Knežević: Institute of Soil Science, Teodora Drajzera 7, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Marina Jovković: Institute of Soil Science, Teodora Drajzera 7, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Jelena Maksimović: Institute of Soil Science, Teodora Drajzera 7, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Uroš Buzurović: Institute of Soil Science, Teodora Drajzera 7, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Jelena Pavlović: Institute of Soil Science, Teodora Drajzera 7, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Aneta Buntić: Institute of Soil Science, Teodora Drajzera 7, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 19, 1-13

Abstract: Wireworms are often referred as a hardly manageable group of pests due to their unstable lifestyle and uneven distribution in soils. The current strategy of wireworm control involves the heavy use of chemical pesticides. To find an effective and eco-friendly biological control agent against wireworms, evaluation of bacterial properties and insecticidal effects of six Bacillus thuringiensis ( Bt ) strains against Agriotes lineatus was performed under laboratory conditions. The presence of cry11 , cyt2 and krsA gene was detected in Bt strain BHC 2.4, while the same strain had the ability to produce siderophores, protease, amylase and cellulase. Single inoculums of Bt strains (BHC 2.4; BHC 4.5; BHC 4.7; 1.5; 4.3; 6.1) showed mortality against Agriotes lineatus larvae in the range of 6.67–72.22%. However, the compatible Bt dual cultures showed significantly higher efficiency in comparison with the single inoculums, with the highest efficiency of 79.63% recorded for Bt strain BHC 2.4 + Bt strain 1.5. The efficiency of applied Bt strains might be associated with the presence of genes coding for antibiotics and toxins. Therefore, the use of selected Bt strains applied in a form of compatible mixes could offer a sustainable solution for wireworm management in wheat.

Keywords: Agriotes lineatus; entomopathogenic bacteria; biocontrol; microbial inoculant; wheat protection (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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