Journal of Environmental Biology

Degradation of acephate by Enterobacter asburiae, Bacillus cereus and Pantoea agglomerans isolated from diamondback moth

Plutella xylostella (L), a pest of cruciferous crops 

Shanivarsanthe Leelesh Ramya, Thiruvengadam Venkatesan*, Kottilingam Srinivasa Murthy,

Sushil Kumar Jalali and Abraham Varghese

ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, Bangalore ? 560 024, India

*Corresponding Author E-mail: tvenkat12@gmail.com

Publication Data

Paper received:

01 January 2015

Revised received:

05 September 2015

Re-revised received:

13 October 2015

Accepted:

03 November 2015

Abstract

Acephate-degrading bacterial isolates were isolated from the larval gut of diamondback moth Plutella xylostella, a notorious pest of cruciferous crops worldwide that has developed resistance to insecticides. Partial 16S rRNA gene sequencing identified the isolates as Bacillus cereus (PX-B.C.Or), Enterobacter asburiae (PXE), and Pantoae agglomerans (PX-Pt.ag.Jor). All isolates grew on minimal media (MM) in the presence of acephate at 100 and 200 ppm, with maximum growth at 200 ppm. LC-MS analyses of spent medium showed that E. asburiae degraded acephate to methamidophos and O, O-dimethyl phosporamidate and B. cereus O,S-dimethyl to phosphorothioate but P. agglomerans to an unnamed compound. All three isolates used acephate as a source of carbon and energy for growth; however, P. agglomerans used it also as source of sulphur. Strong evidence revealed that the bacterial communities present in the gut of diamondback moth might aid in acephate degradation and play a role in the development of insecticide resistance.         

 Key words

Acephate, Bacillus cereus, Enterobacter asburiae, Pantoea agglomerans, Microbial degradation,

Plutella xylostella

Copyright ? 2016 Triveni Enterprises. All rights reserved. No part of the Journal can be reproduced in any form without prior permission. Responsibility regarding the authenticity of the data, and the acceptability of the conclusions enforced or derived, rest completely with the author(s).