Susceptibility of Spanish populations of the corn borers Sesamia nonagrioides (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Ostrinia nubilalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) to a Bacillus thuringiensis endotoxin

Abstract

Baseline susceptibility to the CrylAb clelta-endotoxin from Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner) was determined for four populations of Sesamia nonagrioides (Lefebvre) and two populations of Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner) from Spain. This study shows that S. nonagrioides is at least as susceptible as O. nubilalis to B. thuringiensis CrylAb protein. We found small differences in susceptibility among the Spanish populations of S. nonagrioides that can be attributed to natural variation, because there are no records of B. thuringiensis products being used on corn crops in Spain. There were no differences in susceptibility to CrylAb toxin between the two populations of O. nubilalis. © 2000 Entomological Society of America.