The field persistence of Bacillus thuringiensis spores on Cercis occidentalis leaves

Abstract

The field persistence of viable spores of four Bacillus thuringiensis formulations, Amdal ®, Biotrol ® BTB 183, Thuricide ® HP, and Thuricide ® 90TS, was measured and compared on leaves of Cercis occidentalis. For Amdal, Biotrol BTB 183, and Thuricide 90TS the field persistence was compared also at two locations, Auburn and Sacramento, California, which differed in altitude and climate. The comparisons of field persistence were based on a segmented linear model of the decay of average viable spore count on a logarithmic scale, because much of the field data strongly rejected the simple log linear model. No significant difference in field persistence of viable spores was found between the two locations. Significant differences were found in both magnitude and pattern of field persistence compared to previously reported measurements of Thuricide 90TS, where leaves of Quercus agrifolia were the substrate, and a log linear pattern of decay of viable spore count was found. The persistence half-life of Thuricide 90TS on Q. agrifolia leaves at Monterey, California, was 3.9 days, compared to a persistence half-life during the first 3 days of 0.63 day on leaves of C. occidentalis with the pooled Auburn/Sacramento data (two-sided P < 0.001). The persistence half-life for Thuricide HP during the first 3 days was 1.85 days, which was significantly different from the corresponding result of 0.58 day for Amdal and 0.63 day for Thuricide 90TS ( P < 0.04).