Present and future use ofBacillus thuringiensisin integrated pest management systems: An industrial perspective

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Abstract
In the past 20 years there has been a steady increase in the use of integrated pest management (IPM) in agriculture due to increased public emphasis on environmental safety, development of pest resistance to all the major classes of insecticides and a reduction in the number of new insecticides. Microbial pesticides, particularly Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), are becoming comerstones to IPM systems, particularly in some vegetables in California and Mexico. Due to an increased emphasis by industry, many new and improved Bts are under development. From an industrial viewpoint, the potential advantages that improved Bts and transgenic plants containing Bt genes will bring are improved efficacy, speed of kill, broader host range and increased residual activity. Because there are still numerous constraints to the use of IPMs, such as lack of infrastructure and education, growers may find it easier to abandon new IPM systems and to utilize the new products of biotechnology in the same way that chemical pesticides have been traditionally used. It is critical that improved microbial agents and pest‐resistant plants are introduced as options that can be integrated into pest management systems with other existing alternatives, rather than as a panacea to recurring pest problems.

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