Psychrotolerance as a driver for the development of novel Bt-based insecticides

In vivo assays we done to determine whether the psychotolerant B. thuringiensis serovar vazensis could exhibit temperature-dependent insecticidal activity on larvae of Anopheles stephensi Liston (Diptera: Culicidae), Adalia bipunctata L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), Trichoplusia ni Hubner (Lepidoptera : Noctuidae), and Cydia pomonella L. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). The toxicity of B. thuringiensis serovar vazensis grown at 15 and 30^oC to A. stephensi larvae was 44% and 9% respectively. No significant larval mortality was caused on the two lepidopteran and the coleopteran targets.