What is Bt? “Bt”, first discovered in Japan in 1901, refers to a spore-forming bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis, which occurs naturally in soils. Some leaf-feeding caterpillars (larvae of butterflies and moths) are killed when they eat very small amounts of leaves or other plant parts that have been coated (sprayed) with Bt. Thousands of strains of … Read more
The name Trichogramma refers to a number of tiny wasps belonging to the family Trichogrammatidae. They are stout-bodied, minute wasps, which can hardly be seen without a hand lens or microscope. Trichogramma is an important bio-control agent as they are egg parasitoids, mainly of Lepidopteran eggs. Up to three wasp larvae may develop in each … Read more
Certain microorganisms exist that can kill plant pathogens or reduce their populations. These are called antagonists. A well-known antagonistic fungus is Trichoderma sp., which is commercially available in several countries including Thailand. Trichoderma can be used to suppress soil-borne pathogens that cause diseases such as damping-off, root rots, stem rots, and wilting in many vegetables. … Read more
