Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2027134 | Soil Biology and Biochemistry | 2006 | 7 Pages |
Abstract
A 24-well plate trial was conducted to determine the effects of conventional (oxamyl) and transgenic (avidin and aprotinin) insect control chemicals on the non-target bacterial-feeding nematode Bursilla sp. (Rhabditidae: Nematoda). Treatments were added to agar as pure oxamyl, avidin from egg whites or aprotinin from bovine lung, which was then inoculated with the bacteria Xanthamonas campestris as a food source for the nematodes. Oxamyl was toxic to the nematodes at a concentration of 400Â ppm, significantly decreasing adult survival, egg laying and consequent progeny development and survival. The 400Â ppm concentration of oxamyl also had a significant negative effect on bacterial growth in two of three experiments. Avidin is a biotin-binding protein and concentrations of 100 and 400Â ppm significantly decreased the number of progeny produced by first generation nematodes through an effect on egg development. This effect was not significant (P>0.05) at either 10 or 25Â ppm. This is the first report of avidin affecting nematode egg development and suggests a role for biotin in this process. Avidin had no effect on visual bacterial growth. Aprotinin is a protease inhibitor and concentrations up to 400Â ppm had no significant effect on nematode development or bacterial growth. These lab-based findings need to be further investigated using plants producing avidin and aprotinin, growing in field soil in order to quantify their impact on environmental processes such as decomposition.
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Soil Science
Authors
Nigel L. Bell, Lee T. Aalders, Neil R. Cox, Catherine A. Cameron,