SUSCEPTIBILITY OF DESERT LOCUST, SCHISTOCERCA GREGARIA (ORTHOPTERA: ACRIDIDAE) TO BACILLUS CEREUS ISOLATED FROM EGYPT

Abstract

The examination was done at preliminary bracket-ing bioassay on one old 4th nymphal instar of the desert locust. Results showed that two isolates, namely NDL1 and NDL2 were having high potentiality as entomopathogenic bioagents. Thirty isolates were isolated from dead/ infected nymphs of desert locust occurred in raring cages at the Department of Locust and Grasshoppers Research, Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt. Molecular identification of isolated bacteria was done using uni-versal primers of 16s rRNA, followed by DNA sequencing. Nucleotides were blasted at (https://www.ncbi. nlm.nih.gov /GenBank/) to recognize that NDL1 and NDL2 isolates were two different isolates of Bacillus cereus with high similarity (100%). Susceptibility of the 4th nymphal instar of Schistocerca gregaria (Forskal) to the isolated B. cereus was determined using two bio-assay procedures, Leaf-dip and per os. The insecticidal activity of both isolates against locust nymph in leaf dipping showed that NDL2 was more efficient than NDL1. However, the opposite trend was observed in using per os. Both Isolates have the potential to be successful biocidal agents to control desert locusts.