Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology

Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology ISSN 7295-2849 Vol. 8 (4), pp. 001-005, April, 2018. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Characterization of Bacillus thuringiensis strains from Jordan and their toxicity to the Lepidoptera, Ephestia kuehniella Zeller

Maher Obeidat¹*, Dhia Hassawi¹, Ihab Ghabeish²

¹Al-Balqa’ Applied University, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Biotechnology Department, Al-Salt 19117, Jordan

²Al-Balqa’ Applied University, Faculty of Al Salt, Al-Salt 19117, Jordan.

Accepted 10 August, 2017

Abstract

Bacillus thuringiensis was investigated in four different habitats (grain dust, olive-cultivated soils, waste and industrial-byproducts contaminated soils, and animal byproducts-contaminated soils). The bacterium was highly abundant in soils contaminated with animal byproducts. Eight serotypes with Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis being the most common. Out of the twenty-six isolated strains, five strains (serotype: kenyae, kurstaki, kurstaki HD1 and thuringiensis) that produced bipyramid crystal proteins were toxic to the lepidoptera larvae of Ephestia kuehniella Zeller. The SDS-PAGE protein profile analysis showed a relationship between the crystal protein shape and the toxicity to the larvae of the tested insect.

Key words: Bacillus thuringiensis serotypes, Ephestia kuehniella, parasporal crystal proteins.